She was born in Nairobi to Somali parents, then raised in the USA for her teenage years, before returning back to Kenya, where she seeks to understand the people around her better by learning their stories. Her Somali roots, she says, are part of her need for storytelling, as Somali history is very much an oral one. From Kanga projects to fishermen to interviewing camel herders in Somalia, she truly meets the people she photographs and tries to retell their story as best she can.