In the first eight months of 2023, 31,800 refugees immigrated to the United States (US), nearly triple that of the all-time low number of migrants in 2021. This year also marked the largest influx of refugees to the US since 2017, according to migrationpolicy.com. As a result, various organizations have stepped up to assist these new American residents in assimilating to a new home. Sophomore Dua Khan, in collaboration with the Greenwich Presbyterian Church (GPC), has worked to provide activities and support to refugee families through sports and tutoring programs. She reflected on the need for similar programs and the lessons of compassion and strength she has learned from the families she helps.
Last year, Dua joined the GPC’s refugee integration program to help a cause that is personally meaningful to her. She started bringing services to refugee families by tutoring children and teaching women how to figure skate. Through this process, Dua bonds with the families and witnesses their growth in a new country. She spoke about her experience tutoring refugee children and her work’s impact on their lives.
“Many of these children are the first people in their families to go to college,” Dua said. “They’re reaching the age where they will enter high school soon. An improved education is important for setting the future for their entire family. I think that tutoring helps them a lot with that. Adapting to a new school is hard alone, but adapting to a new country is very difficult. Overall, I think [tutoring] helps them with the overall adjustment and academic adjustment.”
For the families to acclimate to their new community, Dua believes it is critical to integrate the migrants into public spaces where they can grow accustomed to American culture. She detailed the process of assimilation and exposure in her work with immigrant families.
“A lot of things that we do are community exposures, which are really important because they don’t get to learn basic things like going to a library or grocery store,” Dua said. “We don’t think about doing these things, but they’ve never experienced these things. Sometimes, when we go to these places in public, they’ll receive glances and stares. I think overcoming these challenges is the most important thing in making them feel comfortable, ignoring any negativity, and focusing on the adjustment.”
Through her experience with the refugees, Dua has cultivated a true passion for helping these families. She discussed what she has learned from the immigrants with whom she works.
“I really feel that I have a passion for working with these families, and it’s definitely something I’d like to continue in the future,” Dua said. “I think I’ve definitely learned the resilience, the perseverance, and honestly, the bravery that these families have. They have gone through unimaginable challenges. […] Watching them overcome that has been so wonderful. Most of these families live in the Fairfield/Westchester area, so the most rewarding thing has been working with my local community and learning more about different people and attaining a more worldly perspective.”
Featured Image by Lindsay Taylor ’24
