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Learn more about some of our current Social Justice Interns, their work, and what they're learning from the experience.‌

Fatimah Alawami

FORA Education

 

My name is Fatimah Alawami, and I’m currently a sophomore at Loyola University. I’m thrilled to be interning at FORA (Forging Opportunities for Refugees in America), a non-profit dedicated to creating a fun and welcoming learning environment for refugee students. In my role as educational intern, I have the opportunity to engage directly with students and assist with administrative tasks, both of which allow me to have an invaluable experience in a close-knit community. With having prior experience of with working with immigrant and refugee families, I am aware of the different transitional struggles that occur. With children, one of the more prominent struggles is strong educational literacy, and this furthers my goal during this internship towards building meaningful connections full of encouragement, wisdom, and fun with students. I strongly believe that everyone deserves equal access to a fulfilling education, and FORA is committed to advancing this mission. Furthermore, not only will I provide academic support, but I will ensure that students know they have a community to help them navigate through all of their transitional journeys. 

 Maya Baptist

Catholic Charities Community & Partner Engagement
 
 

My name is Maya Baptist, I am a current junior at Loyola. My majors are Criminal Justice and Political Science, and I am minoring in Philosophy and Spanish. I aspire to work as a lawyer in my future career. My internship site is Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago that serves to provide safety, compassion, and a sense of community for Chicago residents who are experiencing hardship and are in need of support. I am very excited to be working this year as their Volunteer and Community Engagement Intern. It has always been my goal to serve those in my community and Catholic Charities has given me an excellent opportunity to do so. Through this internship I will be working with volunteers and clients and assisting them however necessary. Working with Catholic Charities provides the opportunity to grow in one’s faith and in one’s understanding of their community and those around them.

KyLee Davis

GirlForward Communications
 

My name is KyLee and I’m a second year at Loyola! I’m majoring in philosophy with an emphasis on social justice and I have two minors, one in law & politics and the other in sociolegal studies. I am incredibly honored to have been paired with GirlForward as their communications intern. Through my role, I will build connections with the students at GirlForward to spread their stories online and garner support for the program. I’ll be working with various social media platforms and graphic design programs to promote GirlForward’s mission and impact on the refugee community. I’m attending Loyola on a pre-law track and one of my minors, sociolegal studies, focuses specifically on helping underserved communities access legal resources. I’ve learned about the importance of law in social change and hope to learn more about communication via helping a wide range of students integrate into the Chicago community. This internship is a wonderful way to help other first-generation students and garner cross-cultural connections to gain skills that will help others in my future career. I look forward to an amazing year at GirlForward!

Marin Ellington

GirlForward Undergraduate Programs
 

My name is Marin, and I currently serve as the undergraduate Programs Intern at GirlForward Chicago. I am a senior double-majoring in Economics and English on a Pre-Law track. GirlForward is an incredible program which connects young immigrant and refugee girls with resources around the Chicagoland area to help them transition to life in the United States. As the Programs Intern, my work consists of organization, behind the scenes planning, and strengthening the relationships between donors and our fundraising database. Not only do I get to work with data management and creative research to help advance the organization, but I get the incredible opportunity to engage with the girls themselves and provide assistance through tutoring, language translation, and group bonding events. Through this position, I am able to gain hands-on experience with non-profit work and social justice advocacy as a whole. Watching the brilliance, resilience, and strength of these young women is inspiring, and working with GirlForward has been an incredibly rewarding experience. Interacting with professional organizations and gathering resources allows me to strengthen my connections with the Chicagoland area and build my home here as I work to help these incredible women do the same!

Mariana Galvan-Rojas

Catholic Charities Immigration & Refugee Services
 

My name is Mariana, and I am a junior majoring in Anthropology with a minor in Sociolegal Studies. Through Loyola’s Social Internship Program, I was paired with Catholic Charities Immigration and Refugee Services. Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago is a nonprofit organization that coordinates programming to help immigrants and refugees develop a plan for the next stage of their lives. They provide legal assistance and services to individuals and families unable to afford representation. As an intern in the immigrant services program, I have the opportunity to assist in cases by translating and helping clients write their declarations. I also meet with clients to obtain information crucial to their application/petition process, as well as review cases to verify everything is in order. In the future, I hope to pursue a career as an immigration attorney, and this internship has been great in allowing me to learn from my colleagues and gain experience in the legal field. I am passionate about advocating for immigrant and refugee rights, believing that everyone deserves to be treated with respect and have the opportunity to create a better life for themselves. My wish is to help the immigrant community of Chicago by building an environment of trust and compassion where clients feel heard and safe.

Amelie Malone

GirlForward Mentoring Program
 

My name Amélie Malone and I am a junior majoring in Psychology and African studies with a minor in Gender and English studies. I work at GirlForward as their Mentoring Intern. GirlForward is a community of support dedicated to creating and enhancing opportunities for girls who have been displaced by conflict and persecution. Girls ages 14 to 21 who identify as immigrants, refugees, or asylum seekers are served by GirlForward. The Mentoring Program engages girls in "4W" activities (Wellness, Wisdom, Wallet, and World) by matching them with female community mentors. As an intern for this organization, I assist in organizing events, supporting mentors, and facilitating the mentoring matches. GirlForward offers drop-in hours for girls to hang out or receive help with homework on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. I get to tutor pupils during this time, helping the girls with their homework and boosting their self-esteem in the classroom. In addition, I support a caseload of tutors and/or mentoring matches and develop curriculum and material for particular programs to help staff with volunteer management.

Kat McKeag

Misericordia Graceful Living
 

My name is Kat McKeag. I am a sophomore at Loyola and am from Highland Park Illinois. This program has given me the opportunity to work with Misericordia in Graceful Living. At Mis, I get to work with aging residents and help them preserve skills and learn new things. We also focus on enriching their lives and making their days more engaging. I am so excited to participate in this organization because of my future aspirations to be a teacher. I hope to work in Chicago Public Schools in special and elementary education. This internship has already given me so many opportunities to work on my skills that I'll use in my future career. At Loyola, I am also involved in clubs like Hillel (as Freshman outreach chair and Social Action chair) and Loyola Future Teachers club (President-Elect). Through these roles, I’ve gained a large amount of knowledge regarding advocacy, working with organizations and how to work with others to further our communal mission..

Tiera Prince

GirlForward Education
 
 
My name is Tiera Prince, and I am a junior majoring in Molecular Biology on the pre-med track. Through Loyola’s Social Justice Internship program, I’m honored to serve as the Education Intern for GirlFoward this year. Amidst one of the largest global refugee crises, GirlFoward is dedicated to empowering young girls who have been displaced from their home countries or are seeking asylum. GirlFoward’s Education Program provides a safe space for young girls to build English proficiency and thrive academically. As an Education Intern, I manage and facilitate hybrid academic tutoring programs, develop curriculum for year-round initiatives, and assist with volunteer coordination and participant engagement. Additionally, I will be coordinating a yearlong personal project aimed at raising awareness about the needs of refugee girls from a healthcare aspect while fostering community and engagement through workshops. Interning with GirlFoward allows me to apply my classroom knowledge, leadership skills, and personal experiences to make a meaningful impact. I am passionate about advocating for underrepresented communities, creating opportunities through education, and empowering young women to shine unapologetically in all spaces. I am incredibly proud to contribute to GirlFoward’s mission of providing safe spaces to enhance these girls’ education and provide opportunities in the United States. I look forward to continuing this journey and helping nurture educational trailblazers in an equitable and inclusive environment.
 

Diana Sakander

Catholic Charities WIC Program
 
 
My name is Diana Sakander, and I'm currently a senior on the pre-law track with a minor in legal rights, and I'm from Afghanistan. In my current role, I am working as a WIC (women, infant, and children) intern at Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago. The goal of this organization is to combat key issues sustaining basic and human needs, serving almost 400,000 people on average. In my tasks, I will be assisting with the nutrition education program in the promotion of better habits including dietary and physical, taking cultural considerations in mind when viewing the food plan. As well as contributing with social media to create engaging content that bypasses the health and wellness check. This internship will help me achieve a greater understanding of the issues plaguing different communities, and the ways in which even just one person can help. And, the experience will be very valuable in my understanding of not only the organization; however, also the different roles and people involved in making such a vision reality. Part of this goal is understanding the different people involved and what their purpose is.  

Aana Shenai

ONE Northside Community Organizing 
 


My name is Aana Shenai, and I am a Sophomore studying Environmental Science. I am from Cincinnati, Ohio and first became passionate about environmental protection when I worked as a camp counselor at a local farm summer camp. I taught kids the importance of sustainable agriculture, where our food comes from, and how we can grow our food locally. In high school, I continued this passion for environmental education and began organizing with Sierra Club Ohio and Action for the Climate Emergency. Throughout all of my work as an activist, I believe in always advocating for environmental justice. This concept means acknowledging that the impacts of the climate crisis often fall on already marginalized communities and ensuring that they are given a platform when solutions and decisions are made. As an intern with ONE Northside, I work to support environmental justice campaigns like promoting clean energy in Chicago Public Schools. My main project will be to build a training that teaches communities how climate, energy, and the environment intersect. I will also help with ONE Northside’s campaigns that intersect with environmental justice, such as working with elected officials to advance housing justice.

Rylie Steuer

Misericordia Personal Effectiveness Program
 

My name is Rylie Steuer, and I am incredibly fortunate to work at Misericordia as their Personal Effectiveness Program Intern! I’m a junior studying Psychology and Neuroscience, with a passion for assisting individuals with a range of intellectual and developmental disabilities. This passion will only be strengthened through my participation in this internship, which I will further apply to my career aspirations. In my role, I co-facilitate with behavioral experts to address unique developmental behavior skills through specialized enrichment programs. I utilize interactive technology such as iPads, Smart Boards, and various specialized devices to improve skills such as independent living, social and interpersonal interactions, concentration, asking for appropriate help, and decision-making.