Photo: 2020, Arin Yost. Photographed by Michael Meissner, used with permission. All rights reserved.
During the summer of 2018, I interned with Abba’s House Texas, a refugee resettlement agency, to expand their community outreach and assist refugee and immigrant families in transitioning to life in America. This work was funded by the Hubert Scholarship, awarded to undergraduate students with a demonstrated commitment to public service, and I learned so much from my time there.
My duties were diverse: I helped refugee families navigate the American legal and healthcare system, wrote grant proposals, newsletters, and blog posts, and organized volunteers. One of the most ambitious and rewarding projects that I undertook, however, was a series of speaking engagements at local churches and service organizations for World Refugee Day 2019. On behalf of Abba’s House, I encouraged community members to advocate for refugees by educating them on important issues and legislation faced by refugees in the greater Houston area. World Refugee Day was followed by a community dinner where we were joined by over 40 new volunteers from one of the churches I spoke to.
