Dr. Hamsa Mahafza, Author
Dr. Hamsa Mahafza is an Arab-American educator and researcher. She is a faculty member at the College of Education at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and is a 2022 Honors College faculty fellow. She received her Ph.D. in Culture, Literacy, and Language from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She is the 2022 recipient of the AWLA “Friend of Languages” Award. Dr. Mahafza’s passion for multicultural children’s literature motivated her to write her first book “The Arabian Cinderella and the Secret of the Woven Threads.” Her goal is to bridge the gap between cultures by using the means of culturally responsive teaching. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening with her husband, and cooking multicultural foods from around the world. Her favorite pets are rabbits; she never gets bored of talking about them.
Shalanda Edwards-White, Illustrator
Shalanda Edwards-White is an African-American multimedia graphic designer. She is a graphic design, web design and developer, illustrator, and business owner. She is a graphic designer at The University of Alabama at Huntsville in the Office of Marketing and Communications. She is an At Large member of the UAH Staff Senate. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. She spends most of her time building people by helping them develop small businesses to build our community and fuel our economy. In her spare time she sings in the church choir, and serve in multiple ways in the community.