Chris George and Kelly Hebrink: Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services

Earlier this semester, I wrote a small grant to align my freshman English course with research standards at the university and the Jesuit University Humanitarian Action Network's (JUHAN) guiding principals. I used my research with relocated youth as a model for writing about the world and, as we read Outcasts United by Warren St. John together, I shared with my students the ways I use text and contexts to accomplish larger writing projects. The students in the course are now writing from their own passions and, with research of their own, making a case of their findings to an audience of their choosing.

As part of the work, I invited Chris George and Kelly Hebrink of New Haven's Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS) to speak with the class. Both have worked extensively with relocated individuals and families and are strong advocates for the important work in Connecticut. Their international experiences, too, painted a global picture of the inequities that exist and the privileges afforded to those of us living in American society.

I couldn't have been more pleased with the workshop conducted yesterday. George and Hubrick asked my students to think about world realities and histories, to understand how the United States does the work it does, and to appreciate the complexity of working with new American populations. They shared and expressed the complex work of providing support for refugees in a new home.

The freshmen in EN 11 gained insight that most Americans don't have. Our guests offered a rare insider's knowledge of the emotion, politics, mission, and stresses of assisting new Americans in pursuit of dreams. Later this semester, we will continue the partnership with a basketball game at Webster Arena and next year, we will run the 5k race for refugees in New Haven.

This, without a doubt, is a community in action. I couldn't be more proud of the students I teach or the speakers who shared their lives with us. Sometimes...a shining moment.