Why We Support Refugees

Afraaz, Resettlement and Placement Intern

Our office is truly multicultural, as evidenced by Afraaz's story. Afraaz is our Resettlement and Placement intern who helps schedule appointments for clients, assist case managers, and collect information for our database. When asked to share his story for our #GivingTuesday campaign, Afraaz described his multilingual, multireligious life. Many years ago, Afraaz's Hindu grandmother fled Pakistan after violent raids in her village. She moved to Mumbai, India, where her husband became a videographer for Bollywood. Afraaz's mom was born in Mumbai. As a teenager, she met Afraaz's dad. There was contention within the family over this relationship; Afraaz's mom was Hindu, but his father was Muslim. They eloped in secret, and eventually Afraaz's mom converted to Islam.

The family moved to the United States 30 years ago, while Afraaz's dad was still working at an oil rig in Saudi Arabia. During this time, Afraaz's grandmother was not speaking to Afraaz's mom. After years of not communicating, Afraaz's grandmother re-entered their life. With the help of her family, Afraaz's grandma has opened up to progressive ideas surrounding different religious groups. Now, Afraaz has the opportunity to learn from his Muslim parents and Hindu grandmother! He applies his multicultural background to his work at US Together, especially when working with clients. We are so grateful for his support!

Zam and His Family, Former Refugees from Myanmar (Burma)

After fleeing persecution, they made it to the United States. Him, his wife, and his two children are happy to build their new life in the United States! Zam is a woodworker and is extremely supportive of his family and other members of his community. We are proud to provide comprehensive services to Zam during his journey. When asked why they support refugees, Zam's family agreed that "they help us create a better life and future hope."

Amanda, Educational Programs Intern

Amanda joined our agency earlier this semester after hearing about our Civic Engagement Program for young girls. Eager to continue advocating for inclusionary spaces, Amanda enthusiastically accepted the position. She is a current senior at Capital University and has extensive experience providing trainings and events for the LGBT Student Program. Now, she is working with clients to teach them how to pass their drivers exam! The best part of her internship? She passes along her knowledge to our case managers. She is currently working on a plan to improve our ESL classes so clients can be more prepared to take American tests, like the drivers exam.

Isaiah, AmeriCorps VISTA Member

Isaiah has a passion for policies that create opportunities for refugees and immigrants, which led him to move from Minnesota to Columbus to take the year-long Community Engagement and Development Specialist VISTA position with US Together. As an AmeriCorps VISTA, Isaiah’s mission is to fight poverty by building the capacity of nonprofits that perform effective, meaningful, community-focused work. In his first few months, Isaiah has had the opportunity to learn firsthand about the inner workings of our refugee and immigrant social services agency, picking up skills such as event planning and grantwriting along the way! He has also grown to love Columbus, and when he’s not in the office, you can usually find him hanging out at the Columbus Metropolitan Library, running in any of our beautiful parks, or enjoying the delicious food of one of our many refugee and immigrant-owned restaurants!

Michael, International Program Intern

Michael joined our organization in May, and has coordinated multiple cultural exchange projects. He is a senior at The Ohio State University studying International Relations and Diplomacy and he enjoys the overlap between his classes and the work he does at US Together. Currently, he is coordinating our upcoming Rwanda Global Perspectives trip and has been instrumental in bringing over the international delegation from Europe. When he isn't working for the International Program, he makes time to assist our case managers with clients. We are so grateful for all that he does for our organization!