Sanharib Simsek (Grigo) serves as the President for WAAY. He engaged with the Assyrian Youth Federation of Central Europe (AJM) at the age of 16 after attending numerous activities. He eventually served as the President of AJM from 2013 till 2017. Sanharib credits the youth federation and his family’s influence as the reason of engaging for the Assyrian people. Getting in touch with Assyrianism, he desired to make it his profession to serve this nation and making a change. So said he started to train within successful non-Assyrian organization and started to study social works. Currently he works as the CEO of AJM and lives in Paderborn, Germany. Sanharib is one of the founding members of the World Assembly of Assyrian Youth.
Gabrial Babella serves as the Vice President for WAAY and President of the Assyrian Youth Federation of America. He was previously the President of the Assyrian Student Association of Arizona. Gabrial holds a Bachelor’s in Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences from Arizona State University. A native of Chicago, IL, he currently lives in Phoenix, AZ. Gabrial credits his family’s influence as the reason he works in Assyrianism, but also and most importantly, knowing the atrocities Assyrians have gone through to hold on to their identity drives and inspires him to work for the Assyrian cause. Gabrial is one of the founders of the Assyrian Student Association of Arizona, Assyrian Youth Federation of America, as well as the World Assembly of Assyrian Youth.
Susanna Mary Shamoon is the Secretary of WAAY and current President of the Assyrian Student Association of Arizona. Susanna holds a Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Sciences and working towards becoming a speech language pathologist. Susanna is a native of Modesto, CA, and has lived in Arizona since 2003. In 2017, Susanna won the Assyrian American Cultural Organization’s Person of the Year.
Ramsin Edward is an Australian based author, researcher, and exhibition curator specialising in the documentation of Assyrian cultural identity and folk garments. Ramsin has authored professional reports documenting risks posed to tangible and intangible Assyrian heritage in northern Iraq and offered recommendations to help ensure their protection. He has also chaired several high level meetings with Australian and Iraqi Government officials and diplomats regarding social and cultural issues impacting Australian-Assyrians and is a strong advocate for their cultural preservation and economic development. Today, Ramsin serves as Executive Director for ACSYA Inc. and Director of Media for WAAY.
Ninwa Gabriela Yonan serves as a Director of WAAY. She previously served as the President of the Assyrian Youth Federation of Central Europe (AJM). Ninwa holds a Master of Science in Psychology and resides in Berlin, Germany. Ninwa’s journey began when she was 13 years old, particularly during her first visit to Tur Abdin, her family’s ancestral homeland. During her visit, she witnessed the sorrow in her parents’ eyes as they walked through the ruins of their home villages. This was a turning point for Ninwa and the motivation that allowed her to work with various Assyrian/Syriac organizations. According to Ninwa: “It helped me to grow on an individual level but also shaped my collective identity as I began to realize that I am part of a wider community that has a rich cultural legacy but is also endangered. Growing up in the diaspora, a lot of young Assyrians struggle in developing their (cultural) identities and finding a place they belong. Contributing to the Assyrian cause means for me to offer them orientation during these sensitive phases, herby also ensuring the cultural preservation of our people.”