The Founder Story
IWIN was born from the journey of our founder, Dina Asna, whose experiences continue to shape the organization’s mission and values. A disabled immigrant woman, Dina’s life has been marked by her passion for learning, teaching, and empowering others through art and community.
As a self-taught artist, former computer science consultant, and current lay counseling student, Dina has always embraced a mindset of constant growth. She believes in the power of art and community as tools for healing and transformation. Her personal journey, spanning multiple countries and cultures, has shown her the importance of creating safe spaces where individuals can connect, share their stories, and find their voices. This ethos of connection and inclusion is woven into the very fabric of IWIN.
Dina’s achievements—both personal and professional—serve as a testament to resilience and vision. From building IWIN into a vibrant nonprofit organization to sharing her artwork through Etsy and exhibitions in the SF Bay Area, Dina continues to use her platform to inspire and uplift others. Her love for learning fuels her commitment to creating opportunities for growth, whether through workshops, podcasts, or seminars. She not only teaches but also thrives on teaching others, seeing every new experience as an opportunity for collective growth.
Today, Dina’s life is dedicated to supporting women through art, connection, and education. Her journey has shaped IWIN into a space where creativity meets healing, where every individual can find empowerment, and where the shared experience of learning and teaching becomes a bridge for connection.
IWIN History
IWIN's history can be described in three distinct phases: Phase One, Community Building and Connection, Phase Two, Adapting to the Pandemic and Expanding Reach, and Phase Three, Expanding Impact through Collaboration and Activism.
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Phase One, Community Building and Connection:
Iranian Women in Network (IWIN) was founded in 2015 as a lamorinda-based grassroots initiative to empower Iranian American women through art, healing, and community-building. Our mission is to create spaces where women and girls from marginalized communities, especially those facing hardship, can foster creativity, resilience, and self-expression as pathways to healing and transformation.
IWIN’s early years focused on community-building through monthly networking meetings alternating between Walnut Creek and Berkeley. These gatherings provided a platform for Iranian women to celebrate their identity, share experiences, and support one another. Each month, we hosted a guest speaker and offered networking opportunities, creating a consistent space for connection and empowerment. In addition to these monthly meetings, we held special events each year, including artisan bazaars for Nowrouz (Iranian New Year) and Yalda (Winter Solstice), poetry readings, and summer picnics, enriching our program with diverse cultural activities.
During the first five years, IWIN hosted over 70 events, with 60 of them being monthly networking meetings. Through these gatherings, we served over 2,500 individuals, fostering countless connections—from fundraising for Iranian artists to providing newcomers with opportunities for integration and job placements. The impact of these events was far-reaching, offering women a sense of belonging and a platform for personal and professional growth.
The organization was founded by a disabled immigrant woman—a self-taught artist, former computer science consultant, and current lay counseling student—whose journey through paralysis, displacement, and rebuilding continues to inspire our work. Her lived experience shapes IWIN’s mission, values, and practices, emphasizing the importance of resilience, healing, and creative expression.​
Phase Two, Adapting to the Pandemic and Expanding Reach
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic marked a transformative shift in IWIN’s approach. With in-person gatherings no longer possible, we rapidly transitioned to virtual programming. During this time, IWIN expanded its offerings to include a wide range of creative outlets, such as visual arts workshops, poetry readings, literature circles, play readings, yoga, and meditation. In addition to these, we continued to celebrate Nowrouz (Iranian New Year) and Yalda (Winter Solstice) for the Iranian community, adapting these cultural celebrations to the virtual space.Our audience expanded significantly during this period, reaching participants from other cities across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and even some from Iran. Over the course of two years, we offered more than 200 sessions, engaging with over 5,000 participants globally. This period also created new opportunities for artists, providing jobs for those who had never taught online before. We also launched programs for seniors for the first time, offering a new avenue for creative engagement and community connection for older generations.In addition to our regular programs, the expanded virtual network provided the platform for two global art exhibitions, each hosted through a global art call. These virtual exhibitions became an important space for self-expression and connection during a time of isolation, helping to maintain a sense of community despite physical distance.In 2023, recognizing the power of our work and the impact it had on our communities during this time, we formalized IWIN’s nonprofit status, solidifying our commitment to providing accessible, art-based initiatives for marginalized communities and continuing our mission of healing and empowerment.
Phase Three: Expanding Impact through Collaboration for Wellbeing and Social Justice
IWIN’s activities during the COVID-19 period helped sharpen our mission, vision, and values. We officially registered as a nonprofit in October 2020 with the mission to empower women through art.
IWIN now defines its activities around two core components: wellbeing and social justice. In this phase, we launched the “Women Life Freedom Quilt” program, which has enabled us to collaborate with diverse groups, including refugees, schools, seniors, and corporate campuses. These workshops focus on gender equality and the layers of discrimination women face, using art as a vehicle for healing and advocacy.
We’ve collected over 600 art pieces, assembled 50+ panels, and held 20+ exhibitions in the Bay Area and beyond. Today,
IWIN’s focus remains on empowerment, wellbeing, and healing. Our programs, such as “It Is My Turn” for women from Afghanistan, “Let Her Shine” for refugee girls, and “Listening Circles,” a virtual space for healing, continue to address crises in the Middle East and beyond.
Over the past three years, IWIN has organized 50 events annually, engaging over 400 individuals per year. Our 25+ full and partial exhibits have reached more than 3,000 people, sparking connections and shared stories that reflect the transformative power of art.