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Fighting for Displaced Communities: A Batten Honors Graduate’s Mission
Asha Richards ’21 driving change, one urgent step at a time
University News | December 16, 2024
There is a word that is part of Asha Richards’ everyday vocabulary, though not likely familiar to most people. ‘Diaspora’ refers to people who have migrated—voluntarily or involuntarily—or their descendants who maintain connections to their homeland. For Asha, a proud member of the Jamaican diaspora, this word represents not just a lived experience but the foundation of her mission: empowering diaspora communities to contribute their skills, resources, and voices towards sustainable development in their home and host countries.
After graduating from Virginia Wesleyan University in 2021 with a double major in political science and international studies, this Batten Honors College scholar went on to earn a Master of Public Administration in Development Practice at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. Since then, she has wasted little time, mainly because there is little time to waste.
Asha currently works for the Mayor Migration Council, an international organization dedicated to supporting mayors worldwide in helping refugees displaced by economic hardship, violence, and climate change. As the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, it’s a cause of which she has been aware her entire life.
“Visiting family in Jamaica over the years, I witnessed firsthand the stark economic hardships many Jamaicans face,” she notes. “Their lives were vastly different from mine, even though I came from a low-income household in the United States.” She says those hardships are compounded by international financial institutions and their enforcement of policies that further disadvantage the very countries they are meant to support. This has motivated Asha to dedicate her career to serving people in less developed countries. 
Asha recently returned from the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Azerbaijan, where she gained invaluable insights but also contributed to important discussions on how migration and diaspora perspectives can shape climate mitigation and adaptation efforts, particularly for the Caribbean and other vulnerable regions.
“The devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl—the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record in the Atlantic—and its direct impact on Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Jamaica underscores how climate-induced natural disasters can profoundly disrupt communities and drive migration,” Asha explains. “As sea levels rise, many areas and islands in the Caribbean face the risk of becoming uninhabitable, which could lead to significant migration both within and outside the region. This reality calls for mechanisms that facilitate the movement of affected individuals and ensure their successful integration into host environments, while also addressing the broader socio-economic implications of such displacements.”
While serving the diaspora community has long occupied her thoughts, Asha credits Virginia Wesleyan University with helping equip her with meaningful tools to translate that desire into concrete actions. “I felt an immediate sense of belonging and community—something I hadn’t experienced before, especially at my high school, which had more than 2,000 students,” Asha reflects. “The Batten Honors College was pivotal in preparing me for the next steps in my academic and professional journey.
“As a small university near NATO headquarters, VWU provided me with unique visibility and access to opportunities that I may not have had elsewhere, such as attending the NATO Chiefs of Transformation Conferences. These experiences offered invaluable insights into the operations of intergovernmental organizations, which have informed my career in international development and migration.”
Recently, Asha was selected as part of the inaugural cohort of the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) Youth Changemakers—a group of 10 young leaders worldwide committed to advancing migration-related initiatives. “Through these initiatives, my overarching goal is to actively contribute to Jamaica’s development in ways that minimize inequality and uplift marginalized communities, both at home and abroad. Additionally, I hope to showcase how intentional and strategic diaspora mobilization can drive meaningful, sustainable development for Jamaica and similar nations worldwide.”
Learn more about the Batten Honors College at VWU.