Aishah Alfadhalah is a co-founder of Mera Kitchen Collective, a doctorate candidate at the education department at John Hopkins University, and a speech-language pathologist at Kennedy Krieger Institute. Mera is a community-driven, food business that focuses on the empowerment of chefs from around the world. For Aisha, food and stories are powerful tools in creating community. Aishah is a cultural broker, bridging and bringing together different cultural backgrounds. Aishah also works and conducts research in the field of bilingualism. Specifically the importance of maintaining the home language to improve second language learning and cultural identity in children with and without developmental disabilities. In her research, she works with families in increasing the awareness of the importance of bilingualism and home language maintenance. As a speech-language pathologist, she works in conducting and providing bilingual (Arabic/English/Spanish) treatments and evaluations.