Her Story
About Anita
Anita Omary serves as an Employment Specialist at BH Care, where she supports individuals in the workforce, and she is the founder of the My Right, My Choice campaign, which raises awareness about women's rights to make their own decisions, including financial independence. She has seven years of experience advocating for women and children and three years advocating for refugee and immigrant rights in the United States. Omary earned her master's degree in public administration from the University of New Haven in May of this year. She is an ambassador for Refugee International and a member of Refugee Storyteller, Refugee Congress, and IRIS. Omary attributes her success to her passion for her work and her empathy, values that she says keep her moving forward. She advises young women entering the field to never give up, keep going, and always think positive, drawing from advice her father gave her about persevering through barriers. As an immigrant and mother without family support in the United States, she faces challenges balancing work and study, yet she values the safety, security, and access to education and work that she has here, in contrast to restrictions she experienced in Afghanistan. Respect for others' opinions, religions, and cultures is central to her personal and professional values.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Anita
01What do you attribute your success to?
My passion for my work and empathy keep me going and doing something in my life.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I received is from my father: just keep going whatever happens in your life. Don't feel that you are alone, and don't feel that you're only fighting the one that's facing these barriers in your life. Everybody has barriers in your life that hold you back, but just keep going.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Never give up, it is not easy to advance your career, a lot of things happening and hold you back from your work. Just keep going and always think positive.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Biggest challenge is being a mom with no support, difficult in the U.S. as an immigrant with no family, working and studying at the same time. Opportunity is having safety, security, ability to walk outside, go to work, access education unlike in Afghanistan where everything is banned for women.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Respect is most important. We have to respect each other, each other's opinion, religion, and culture, and we have to accept everybody's whatever they are.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.