Meet Heather
Heather Fights Hard For What She Believes In
Lexington Raised
I was born and raised in Lexington by my mom and dad, Nawal and Ray Hadi. I grew up watching UK basketball, hiking at Natural Bridge, and spending summers tubing with my friends at Cave Run Lake. I went to Paul Laurence Dunbar for high school, where I was the first freshman to be placed on the Varsity Mock Trial team. (Hey! My parents are still proud of that!)
I then attended UK for undergrad, where I boxed and was a member of the KKG sorority, graduating in 2010. After graduating from UK, I moved down south so that I could attend St. Thomas School of Law in Miami, Florida, for law school, where I was a member of the International Moot Court team.
Missing home, I moved back to Lexington right after graduation. After passing the bar exam and being sworn in as a licensed attorney, I began my law firm, Heather A. Hadi, PSC. After my practice was up and running, I had my first child, Layla, in 2016 and my son, Liam, in 2019.
I Bleed Blue!
A lifelong fan of UK basketball, I met Tubby Smith when I was a kid, and since then I’ve been a Wildcat. I joined a social sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and became the Jr. Panhellenic President. At this time, I found my love of boxing and began boxing at private clubs and with the UK boxing team, being invited to the Golden Gloves in Indianapolis shortly thereafter, but due to my school load, I was unable to continue with my boxing career. I've never lost my love for the sport, and I named my daughter after the legendary female boxer - Laila Ali.
My Bebe
The rock of our family is my maternal grandmother “Bebe”, Dr. Anisa Al-Khatab. Raised from humble beginnings in Kadhmyah, Iraq, her father died when she was 18 years old, and her mother was illiterate. Growing up, Bebe was not allowed to read as per cultural norms at the time, her brothers forbade it. But that didn’t stop her. When she was sent to the market to buy bread, the bread would be wrapped in newspaper.
So, she would sneak off and read the wrappings she saved. Unsurprisingly, Bebe became valedictorian of her local high school and was offered a scholarship from the Iraqi government to attend college in the USA. However, each time she was offered - she declined.
Bebe had a total of 8 siblings that she had to care for. Eventually, the scholarship was offered one last time by the government, and she accepted. Bebe went on to get her BA, Master’s, and Doctorate degrees from the prestigious Ivy League - Columbia University in NYC. As part of the scholarship requirement, she had to return to Iraq for a period of time to teach once she had finished her education. She was a professor in Iraq and then in Kuwait, but when Kuwait was invaded by Iraq in 1990, she happened to be in California for a conference.
The Gulf War
As the invasion began, Bebe could not go back home. My mother, Nawal Hadi, was in Kentucky with my Dad and me at that time, so Bebe flew to Kentucky. While the invasion continued, Bebe was able to get her eldest daughter Nadia and her children smuggled out of Iraq. Once all of Bebe’s children were safely in Kentucky and out of the war-torn Middle East, she decided to stay here and began working as a professor of education at EKU until 2003.
Her professional life changed once again in 2003 when Bebe met the Iraqi attaché at a conference in Washington, DC. The Iraqi government was in need of someone with Bebe’s education, skills, and background who had a strong connection to Iraq. Shortly after this chance meeting, the US embassy in Iraq contacted Bebe to interview her for the educational advisor position. She was hired on and began working with the Iraqi government to help rebuild the educational foundation of Iraq.
During this time, General Petraeus caught wind of Bebe’s work and recruited her to help in his literacy project that targeted Iraqis who were illiterate. Bebe worked in this capacity until 2010, traveling into war-torn areas with the US military to help rebuild the educational system.
Bebe is truly my hero; her resilience and determination to make a difference, even against all odds, is the reason I am who I am today and who I will be tomorrow.
My Parents
My mom was born in NYC while my Bebe was attending undergrad at Columbia University. She spent half of her childhood overseas and the other half as a true Yankee in NYC and NJ. My mom attended undergrad at EKU where she earned her BA degree. She then went to the University of Kentucky, where she earned her Master’s degree.
My dad was born and raised in Iraq, graduating from the University of Baghdad in 1974. With tensions building in Iraq, my Dad moved to Morocco for a stint where he taught biology. In 1984 he ended up traveling to Kentucky to visit family. That’s where my parents met, and from there, they both settled down in Lexington.