Ssgt Vincent J. Bell Service Award

Machhadie Assi is a Lebanese American who immigrated to the USA in 2003. She has a B.S. in Biology and B.A in Criminology and Criminal justice from the University of Michigan Dearborn. Machhadie has been on the front line for taking initiatives that support and serve her community.

During the recent flood in 2021, she initiated and led an emergency community town hall that provided resources and assistance in collaboration with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), non-profit organizations, and bilingual attorneys that served hundreds of victims of the flood in Wayne County.

Machhadie was also a frontliner in serving the people of Michigan since the beginning of the pandemic where she served as field director of dozens of food distributions led by MMCC in over twelve cities and five counties for over a year. It is here where she helped distribute hundreds of thousands of food boxes for senior citizens and all diverse communities. Machhadie was recognized for her outstanding work during the pandemic and received a leadership award from MMCC. 

In addition, Machhadie has been working with different local organizations for mobilizing the muslim and arab votes and she worked on several campaigns on local and state levels. Machahdie always advocates for women rights and ensures diversity and the empowerment of minorities in every work essence or initiative she leads, or she is part of. 

In the summer of 2016, Machhadie received a scholarship to supplement her education in Washington DC at the Washington Center for Academic Affairs and Seminars, where she studied international humanitarian law and Forensic Psychology and completed the Pre Law professional track. She received the “Global Citizenship Award" for honoring diversity by fostering community among the Washington Center population. While in Washington D.C., Machhadie also interned at the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee and represented the Committee on Aljazeera TV to speak about the 2016 presidential race. She also led & taught Arabic classes for business professionals at the Global Language Network in Washington D.C. 

At the University of Michigan Dearborn Campus, Machhadie mentored in forensic science in criminal cases and criminal procedures for two years. She was nominated by several university professors as one of the 2017 difference makers for leading by example. 

Recently, Machhadie began a position at the Michigan Attorney General’s Office as a Victim Advocate with the Flint water prosecution team, one of the nation's most controversial cases. Prior to that, she worked at the Washtenaw County Public Defender’s Office in Ann Arbor, Michigan as a paralegal/ investigator. 

Machhadie received the attention of national and international media (TRT World, L.A. Times magazine, Pavements Pieces New York, Alhurra TV, Detroit News & others), for her energetic activism during the 2020 presidential race particularly for mobilizing the women's vote (especially immigrant women, and women of color). 

On International Women’s Day in 2020, Machhadie was recognized by USA hello as one of the American immigrant women influencers. She was also recognized as one of her Community Heroes for her continued enthusiasm and activism on different political and community levels and for inspiring other women.  She was featured in Press & Guide magazine for this recognition and for numerous leadership & serving awards she received for her noticeable activism & leadership roles on both the campus and community level pertaining to issues of social justice, immigrants & women’s empowerment.

Congratulations Machhadie on all of your accomplishments and thank you for your servant leadership! - From all of us at Bell Global Justice Institute, we salute you!