Ms. Rozan Khazendar of Palestine is the founder and owner of Rozza Designs, an online gift shop which prints various designs on mugs, t-shirts, keychains, and other accessories. In February 2018, Ms. Khazendar visited Utah as part of the Women and Entrepreneurship program, a project designed specifically for Palestinian women to help their businesses prosper.
Ms. Khazendar praises Utahns for being kind and welcoming, and willing to help foreigners. She was awestruck by the state's natural beauty, and enjoyed shopping at City Creek Center, touring Temple Square, and visiting with Home Hosts David and Jerre Winder from whom she learned many useful things to apply to her family life.
Experiencing snow for the first time.
As far as Professional Resources visits were concerned, Ms. Khazendar says two of the most significant visits were at the University of Utah’s Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute and the Women’s Leadership Institute.
 |
 |
The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute is a nationally-ranked hub offering a wide variety of programs and engagement opportunities for students to learn about all phases of entrepreneurship. During her visit, Ms. Khazendar met with the Institute’s Director of Operations, Kathy Hajeb, whom Khazendar praises for her kindness and for teaching her to improve her business operations and skills. Ms. Khazendar also learned new concepts on how individuals think and work which proved helpful and changed her own views for the better. Upon returning to Palestine, Ms. Khazendar reports immediately applying the knowledge she gained at the Institute to her own business operations.
Ms. Khazendar also benefited from attending a workshop facilitated by the Women’s Leadership Institute which seeks to improve society’s understanding of the value of diversity in leadership roles, train women in leadership skills, and convey the positive impact women leaders have on economic development and the health of the state. Ms. Khazendar enjoyed learning from the Institute’s CEO and former state senator Patricia Jones about leadership. She recalled how Ms. Jones gave the group positive energy for living life which has helped Ms. Khazendar continue her work.
Ms. Pat Jones of the Women's Leadership Institute
According to Ms. Khazendar, life in Gaza can be difficult. When she is feeling down, she closes her eyes, breathes deeply, and remembers what she has learned from Ms. Jones and others on her trip, giving her the energy and determination to get to back to work. Ms. Khazendar would like to thank Utah Global Diplomacy for welcoming her to our “lovely country” and hopes to return to Utah someday. We hope she can continue to use her newfound knowledge to live a more positive lifestyle and improve her business.
