The pandemic changed so much about the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Salt Lake City’s daily operations, including the requirement that volunteers shift their work to remote and digital platforms. This was the case for Niyera, a citizenship tutor living in Salt Lake City who began volunteering in March. Over the six weeks, Niyera helped Htay study for her citizenship test over Zoom and phone calls. Htay lived several hours away in Montana, so the two never met face-to-face. Despite the challenging situation, Htay passed her citizenship interview and is now one of the United States’ newest citizens.  

“I’m very happy!” Htay exclaimed. As a new citizen, Htay wants to vote and get a passport. She came to the United States six years ago from Myanmar and was excited to start the application process to get her citizenship. “It was very hard, it was not easy.” Htay shared that to help her pass the test, she received help from multiple people, including the IRC in Montana staff as well as Niyera helping her study online.  

“It was all Htay,” Niyera said right away. Each week, the Niyera and Htay spent several two hours on Zoom calls, practicing for the interview that Htay would have to do as a part of her citizenship application process. Niyera felt like it was easy to tutor virtually, since she had easy access to instantly research answers to questions that came up.  

Htay was the first person Niyera tutored who ended up taking the citizenship test. “When we would be on a call [Htay] would write everything with pen and paper, but when she went to take her citizenship test it was all on a tablet,” Niyera remembers, continuing, “I was nervous when I heard that, but it was fine!” Niyera said she was very happy when she heard Htay had passed her test: for Niyera, seeing the people she tutors do well is the highlight of her experience as a volunteer.  

Niyera is no stranger to tackling the seemingly insurmountable with support from friends. She arrived in the United States at the age of five, resettling with her family with support from the IRC in Salt Lake City. One thing she remembers vividly from her first years in the United States is the people at her house who would help her family. This was one of the reasons she wanted to get involved with the community: to support others who are in a similar situation.  

Niyera is currently studying Health, Society and Policy and is set to graduate from the University of Utah in 2024. She says that she wants to continue working with refugees in some way: “I feel like that’s important, and I have the experience,” she shared.  

Niyera and her family have strong ties within the community and with other refugees. However, Niyera’s time as a volunteer with the IRC has given more opportunity to interact with people from other cultural backgrounds. Niyera shared how sometimes, to help understand or remember things for the test, people have related a topic to an event from their own country. “That’s one of my favorite parts, learning more about other countries,” Niyera said with a smile.  

Committed volunteers like Niyera are a vital part in supporting refugees and new Americans striving to achieve their goals. Learn more about the various volunteer opportunities currently available at the IRC in Salt Lake City by visiting Rescue.org/VolunteerSLC.