Rose Lokwang

Rose Lokwang
Delegate for Ohio
Resettled Refugee from South Sudan

Rose Lokwang is the Refugee Congress Delegate for Ohio. Rose was born in South Sudan but left her village at a very young age and grew up in a refugee camp/orphanage in Kenya. In 2006, she resettled in the United States.

Rose is an accomplished scholar. She has earned a B.S in Integrative Physiology (Pre-Med) and a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Colorado-Boulder, as well as an MBA in Healthcare Management from Western Governors University in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is currently finishing her Ph.D. in Healthcare Administration, with a concentration in health policy, at Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio. She speaks four languages - Didinga, Swahili, Arabic, and English. Rose has one beautiful son, who she says also teaches her, in a different but very rewarding way from her collegiate studies. 

Rose also works full-time as an Academic Coach for Sinclair Community College in Ohio and is President and Co-Founder of the nonprofit organization HAULA Community Organization, where she has served for 13 years. Rose focuses her energy on serving others and is a strong advocate for refugees, immigrants, and underrepresented populations. She understands that people are in different stages of life and that each person’s economic and life situation is unique.

Rose has always been inspired by the resilience of the human spirit. She found this resilience to be evident in the lives of the single mothers struggling with postpartum depression that she lived with before and after giving birth to her son. The incredible strength shown by these women in the face of tragedy and depression quickly made her realize that each of them had an interesting story to tell and a need for personal interaction and compassion.

Her passion is to collaborate with educational institutions, psychologists, health organizations, refugee resettlement agencies, and government agencies to create policies that will help bridge the economic and health inequalities faced by these vulnerable groups. With these plans in mind, she continues working with underserved communities, telling their stories and gaining valuable field experience in the community. 

Do you want to invite Rose to speak at an upcoming event?  Please fill out this contact form (reporters, please call 202-905-6238 for time-sensitive requests).