Announcement
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Salt Lake City provides support for students of all ages and their families as they enroll in school, navigate an entirely new education system in the U.S., and learn essential digital and cultural skills. Shahideh Safi, college & career readiness specialist, focuses on supporting students from freshman year in high school to their early 20s.
“I basically make the transition for these high school students more smooth,” Shahideh says. She started in her role only a few months ago, but she is eager to build connections with the student she supports, to ensure everyone is set up for success. “I try to meet them in person if I can because I feel like you build a stronger connection with them. I feel like that bond and that familiar face is really important so that when they are struggling, they don’t hesitate to reach out to you.”
Edith graduated high school in June 2021, just over a year after she arrived in the U.S.
Photo: Courtesy of Edith
Shahideh, though having grown up in the U.S., says that even she had difficulty navigating the education systems after high school. This is why she loves being the point of support for the refugees served by the IRC in Salt Lake City as they transition from high school to further education or start applying for jobs.
Edith was 17 in March 2020 when she first arrived in Salt Lake City from Guatemala. The COVID-19 pandemic was just about to change the way most things were done, including attending school. Edith says that she didn’t know any English at first. “At the beginning, it was very difficult. I went to school for about two days and then everything just closed, and everything was on Zoom,” Edith remembers. She says that she remembers feeling frustrated during the first few months when she knew little English and everything shifted to a virtual format. “When someone tried to talk to me, I was like ‘I don’t know what you’re saying!’”
Now, Edith is a student at the University of Utah, studying business. “I feel like COVID was a big barrier between me and school, but I could handle it,” she says. Her method for overcoming the barriers was hard work and leaning on the support provided by her school, Utah International Charter School, as well as the IRC in Salt Lake City. Edith says that during some weeks, schoolwork felt like a full-time job because of how much effort she put into studying and graduating in just over a year from her arrival in the U.S.
Although Edith has dedicated a lot of time to school, she is happy about where it has led her. Next, Edith would like to find other things to focus on in addition to schoolwork, like an internship to gain more professional experience.
Shahideh is excited to hear about the successes of the students that she works with. “I want to be the person they turn to when they’re struggling, but also I want to be the person they come to screaming like ‘I got the job!’”
Shahideh works with each newly arrived individual who is high school-aged or a young adult. Over the next few months, as the IRC in Salt Lake City anticipates welcoming more families—including those from Afghanistan—to Utah, your donation ensures essential programs like this can continue to serve the refugees in Salt Lake City. Make your gift at Rescue.org/WelcomeHomeUtah.