It's back-to-school season and a lot is going on here at Refugee Transitions! As we say farewell to the summer, we also say farewell to two of our staff members - Lauren Markham and Elizabeth Dellaha. But at the same time we're excited to be adding some fresh faces to the Refugee Transitions crew - Kyle Halle-Erby and Nicole Germanov.

Lauren has been with Refugee Transitions since 2008, most recently as our Senior Volunteer and Program Coordinator. She is moving on to an incredible opportunity as a recipient of the Middlebury Environmental Journalism Fellowship. Her research will focus on environmental refugees and will take her to Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia. You can also find her at the Oakland Unified School District, where she'll be working with their Refugee and Asylee Student Assistance Program and Oakland International High School. Everyone is sad to see her leave her position as Senior Volunteer and Program Coordinator, but we are delighted that she will continue working on special projects at Refugee Transitions as needed. She can be reached at  lauren.reftrans@gmail.com. 

Elizabeth joined Refugee Transitions in 2010 as our ESL Program Coordinator. She taught our ESL classes at Good Samaritan Family Resource Center, helped match volunteers and students in our home-based program in San Francisco, and also mentored graduate students who were teaching ESL classes at various community sites in San Francisco. We are also sad to see Elizabeth leave, but excited that she will continue to do amazing work as she travels in Mexico and Argentina before heading off to teach abroad in Spain for the year!

Lauren and Elizabeth - we are more than a little jealous about your upcoming travels :) We'll miss you and wish you both the best of luck on your future plans!  

And now introducing the newest additions to our staff - please join us in welcoming Kyle and Nicole! 

Kyle has just joined our staff as the Academic and Enrichment Coordinator at San Francisco International High School (SFIHS). At SFIHS, he supports staff and students part-time during the school day and leads the after-school program in the afternoons. You can also find him at our San Francisco office once a week! Originally from Baltimore, Kyle earned his B.A. from Tufts University and was a 2010-2011 Fulbright Grantee in La Guajira, Colombia. Kyle is looking forward to designing and implementing engaging programs of interest to all SFIHS students.

Nicole joined Refugee Transitions at the end of August as our Volunteer and Program Coordinator. She will work to recruit and train our new volunteers - leading orientation sessions and matching volunteers and students in our home-based program. Nicole was introduced to the international humanitarian sphere while volunteering at an orphanage in Bulgaria, where she taught ESL and coordinated enrichment activities. Nicole previously worked as the Volunteer Coordinator with the International Rescue Committee in Oakland. Nicole received her B.A. in political science from UC Santa Cruz, with a concentration in International Studies.

Feibi Wu

Feibi Wu is a student in our home-based tutoring program in San Francisco. We were so touched to get this letter from her before she heads off to start college at UCLA in the fall. Below are a few excerpts, please visit our blog for her inspiring full story.

Hi everyone, my name is Feibi Wu. I am one of the students who have been helping in the Refugee Transitions almost two years. During these days, I appreciate all of the care and support from their tutoring and volunteering programs...

Refugee Transitions gives me a hope in the future. Time goes fast; I still cannot forget the first time when I landed on the United States from my country. I was looking forward an equal living environment to fit my disability difficulty, a congenital muscular dystrophy. Soon after I arrived, I underwent many culture shocks such as language, custom and schooling. Due to lack of friends and relatives, my family and I had to learn everything hard by ourselves. Fortunately, we met the Refugee Transitions through another community associations referred. When they recognized my struggles, I was invited to join their English tutoring program regularly at home...

In my mind, my English tutor is the role model on behavior and knowledge of mind. Ms. Brown is my English tutor from the Refugee Transitions, and we would love to call her LeeLee. She is a sweet, tall and polite lady. When I first met her, I was amazed her height from my wheelchair. We usually met on Sundays with her best friend Cali, a loyal dog...

If I had question, she would explain it in simplest way or draw some pictures to inspire my mind. Sometime, Ms. Brown would give my family a ride to museums, parks, restaurants, and even taught us how to make cupcakes.

Last year was my time to apply for transferring to a four-year university. The procedures were long, and I had to write personal statements. Ms. Brown gave me lots of her suggestions on my drafts and how to response the topics properly. In the May of this year, I received admissions from University of California...We were happy to hear this news because it was the achievement between Ms. Brown and me.

In conclusion, I appreciate every Refugee Transitions staff's encouragement thoughtfulness. Without them, I would not meet Ms. Brown or have a chance to continue my educational goal. After I graduate, I would like to be a volunteer in the Refugee Transitions to help people in need.  

Here at Refugee Transitions, we serve clients coming from all around the world. This year, the majority of our new refugee students are coming from the following countries: Burma, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Eritrea, and Iraq. Interested in learning more? Check out this resource we've put together that provides background information on these groups and our organization's involvement in their communities!