Announcement
One thing that stands out most to Kirsi Jarvis about her work with students of refugee backgrounds is seeing the capabilities of the students when they reach their full potential. Kirsi, Careers Manager at One Refugee, provides resources and support to nearly 300 students as they plan their next steps and set goals for professional development. With Kirsi’s support, three students secured internships at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Salt Lake City this spring.
Meet Shafi, sexual assault prevention intern.
During his internship, Shafi has provided various support to the health program of the IRC in Salt Lake City.
Photo: Courtesy of Shafi
Shafi, who interns with the IRC’s health team, is studying criminal justice and sociology at Weber State University and hopes to make his career in serving people “regardless of race, nationality, or gender”. Shafi was born in Afghanistan and spent most of his life in conflict zones. He arrived in the U.S. as a refugee in 2015, resettled by the IRC. In Afghanistan, he worked closely with the U.S. Army for ten years, serving in a multitude of roles throughout the decade. Of his achievements, Shafi is the proudest of his work with the U.S. Army and now his work at the IRC.
“My favorite is when others ask for help, and I can help them.” Shafi shares that he knows the importance of asking for help, as he has been on the other side of the conversation. Several people have played a big part in Shafi life: the U.S. Army general who made Shafi promise to continue his education in the US, his IRC caseworker when first resettling in the U.S., as well as the people at One Refugee who have helped him improve his professional skills.
Meet Kamala, New Roots food access & education intern.
Kamala, who interns with the IRC’s New Roots team, has personal ties to the IRC: - “My uncle used to work at the IRC as a caseworker, and my mom actually is part of the New Roots garden program,” Kamala says. Kamala’s work as the New Roots food access & education intern gives her the opportunity to pursue her passion of community education. She aspires to become a community health educator after finishing her studies, and her internship is offering hands-on experience to achieve just that. Her plan is to be able to work “within the refugee community and teach them about health and what they can do to be active in the community,” she says.
Kamala is pursuing a bachelor's degree at the University of Utah in health and kinesiology, with a minor in nutrition.
Photo: Courtesy of Kamala
Kamala’s family arrived as refugees from Nepal in 2010. “My grandparents were already here when I came,” she reflects on the time of her arrival, continuing, “the language barrier was the main challenge.” Now, years later, she is a first-generation college student, debating whether to do a master’s degree right after graduating or to take a break to work for a while.
Meet Amina, immigration intern.
Amina remembers what the experience of arriving in the U.S. as a new refugee was like. “Everything looked very difficult and very complicated,” Amina says. This drove her to seek out an internship with the IRC, where she could apply her lived experience. Amina came to the U.S. from Somalia in 2016, since achieving a number of accomplishments. Upon arriving, Amina enrolled in the 9th grade at age 18 working hard for three years to graduate. Now, she has her sights set on completing her associate’s degree at Salt Lake Community College. After, she will continue her studies in social work at the University of Utah. “I want to work with refugees, and especially with refugee women. I want to work as a caseworker so that I can get to know them.” One of her favorite things about volunteering as an IRC immigration intern is the fact that she can help people she knows and cares about in the community.
Interns are a vital form of support for many programs at the IRC in Salt Lake City.
Photo: James Roh
Jennifer Dean, volunteer coordinator, works with the programs at the IRC in Salt Lake City to place each new intern into a suitable role. “Interns are an integral part of our teams,” Jennifer says, continuing to reflect on the value of having interns with refugee backgrounds serve at the IRC. “They enrich our work by bringing new perspectives and experiences.” Jennifer sees how interns with refugee and immigrant backgrounds leverage the knowledge acquired through their lived experiences to bring expertise and empathy to programs that directly affect other newcomers. “It’s powerful and invaluable,” she says.
Kirsi Jarvis also sees the benefits of IRC internships for the students at One Refugee. “I love that our students can know that they’re in a supportive network that understands their background,” Kirsi says, noting the value of building strong, community-based partnerships like the one between One Refugee and the IRC in Salt Lake City. “Our students are coming from different refugee backgrounds and they are able to intern in a place that supports other newcomers, I think that’s a really powerful thing. I think a lot of our students are drawn to causes that hit home to them.”
The IRC in Salt Lake City is grateful for the opportunity to welcome dedicated interns into our programming and services each semester. Currently, the IRC is recruiting for Summer 2021 interns. Follow the example of incredible interns like Shafi, Kamala and Amina by learning more & applying today at Rescue.org/InternSLC.