About

My name is Anisa Hagi-Mohamed - a Somali-American educator, artist, community leader, and mother based in Central Minnesota. I’m the author of My Diasporic Diary, a reflective journal for diaspora communities everywhere. I'm also the creator of Kalsooni, the first ever deck of bilingual Somali-English affirmation cards.

I came to the United States when I was five years old after my family fled from the civil war that broke out in Somalia in 1990. I have called many places in the United States home, from the South to Central and Southern California to the Midwest. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Applied Linguistics at San Diego State University and my master’s in the same subject at Saint Cloud State University.

After teaching various age groups (from Kindergarten to Adult Basic Education) for multiple years, I recognized that there was a dire need for bilingual Somali and English educational resources. To meet this need, I created multiple resources as part of my Power of Positive Language Series. These resources and materials serve three main purposes: 1) providing authentic representation of the Somali community across multiple media formats and platforms, 2) tapping into the power of positive language to transform and heal communities, and 3) creating unique bilingual Somali and English products that can be used to educate and empower all age groups. My work has been featured in the Saint Cloud Times, Tusmo Times, Sahan Journal, Star Tribune, and MPR.

Currently, I live in Saint Cloud, Minnesota with my husband and three children. In my free time, I love to research, read, write, and create visual stories about my passions: mental health, culture, language, identity and home.