The Trump administration’s executive order on immigration has affected many in tech, and our site is no exception. Our team is privileged to work with bright and talented individuals from all over the world, and we were recently saddened to learn one of our writers, Raya Bidshahri, is among those whose future has been made more uncertain by the recent executive order.
Originally from Iran, Raya is in her final year studying neuroscience at Boston University. She is co-founder of Intelligent Optimism, a social media movement to get people excited about the future in a rational way, and an aspiring entrepreneur working on a startup here in the US.
Raya’s university has advised her not to leave the country as she may not be able to return. Meanwhile, her family will be unable to attend graduation in May, and it’s unclear if and when she will be able to return to the US after graduation when her student visa expires.
Raya’s story was recently featured on CNN in an article highlighting those affected by the travel ban, and CNN flew her to New York City to partake in a town hall with Nancy Pelosi.
These are uncertain times, but we believe we stand to gain more when ideas, experiences, and talent may freely come together to write, dream, invent, and collectively take steps toward a better future.
We hope you’ll join us in our support of Raya and others like her.
