Finding my Connection to Community at Unite Us

Shadi Garman

Shadi is the Partnership Marketing Manager here at Unite Us. She recently joined the team at our New York City headquarters and is excited to collaborate with our rapidly expanding group of network partners.

Throughout my life, I’ve always sought out ways to merge a passion for people with a passion for impact. The opportunity to join the team at Unite Us was an ideal situation, with their mission-driven approach centered at the core of the company. While I never could have predicted it, the decision to work at Unite Us was one of the most certain I have ever made.

I had my first exposure to the health and human service field in college, thanks to a bachelor’s degree in Human Services. Centered in social justice, this was a transformative experience rooted in empathy and understanding. As immigrants, my family and I certainly didn’t have the easiest time building a new home, but my degree helped me realize the extent of my privilege as we were guided through the process by family and friends. Sometimes, one of the best effects of school is realizing how much more there is to understand. I was determined to learn even more about the world around me.

This curiosity led me to New York City to pursue a master’s degree in International Affairs. While my experience in graduate school was undeniably valuable – absorbing thought-provoking textbooks and engaging in spirited debates with classmates – the city served as an equally important teacher. NYC gives you a global perspective, as thousands of identities and cultures cohabitate together. Case in point: the subway can be one of the greatest equalizers as we all commiserate on commutes and celebrate cute babies and dogs along our routes. The subway can also show harsh realities of inequality in the city as neighborhoods drastically change from one stop to the next. The connections between social, economic, and environmental factors that influence our health become all the more visible throughout different neighborhoods.

As my worldview expanded, so did a desire to help facilitate impact. At first, I wasn’t exactly sure where my skills fit in, but thankfully a complementary path had been forming all along through marketing. In my college days, I helped build a variety of online communities to support music, art, and non-profit spaces. Then, in New York, the agency world showed me how digital marketing could influence large audiences. It is always so exhilarating to see the direct correlation between online and “real-life” support. Marketing has been my ultimate tool to build bridges and engage communities. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, an active digital presence is crucial.

At Unite Us, I look forward to creating marketing content that showcases the impact of our networks as they continue to expand and grow. I’m so excited to work closely with our amazing Account Managers, Community Engagement Managers, and network partners and shine a light on their important work. Just as Unite Us builds coordinated care networks of organizations across the continuum of care, I will develop networks of digital communication to connect and amplify the stories that matter from a local level.