Heather Zimmerman was born in Roxas City, Philippines and raised in the tropical Pacific Islands of Micronesia. Most people in the islands affectionately refer to Heather as a backwards coconut (white on the outside but brown on the inside). Her family currently resides on the island of Guam in the Northern Marianas. Heather's parents established a women's recovery center (Oasis Empowerment Center) and a men's recovery center (Light House Recovery Center) to address human trafficking, drug/alcohol abuse, restorative justice and transformative rehabilitation. Heather has a B.A. in ASL/English Interpreting with a minor in Art (Sculpture) from Goshen College in Northern Indiana. She has been actively working with Deaf people and people with disabilities in the Philippines and Guam. Growing up abroad and living with people in recovery has lead Heather to seek a M.A. in International Development. For more information about Heather, check out her resume on LinkedIn.