“But as someone who has experienced this, I feel the need for this program and kind of envy the students that will come through this program because they won’t have to struggle so much as long as there are people that will really support them.” Welcoming Refugees on Campuses “There’s just so many overwhelming things to deal with,” said Manyang in a panel that included her and other State Department, Welcome Corps and higher education leaders. After graduating from George Washington University, Manyang went on to co-found Elimisha Kakuma, an organization dedicated to connecting high school graduates living in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya with higher education opportunities. Manyang went on to co-found an organization to support refugee students in Kenya with higher education opportunities.ĭiing Manyang, a panelist at the event, experienced these obstacles first-hand as a refugee student in the United States from South Sudan. This is a historic and profound opportunity for students and campuses.” Diing Manyang speaks about her experiences as a refugee student from South Sudan. “This is why the Welcome Corps on Campus program is so welcomed and needed. “Despite the growing interest in the intersection between higher education and displacement, a structured, sustainable pathway for refugee students to access higher education in the United States did not exist until now,” Miriam Feldblum, co-founder and executive director of the Presidents’ Alliance, said at the event. Meanwhile, refugees who are able to secure student visas must demonstrate financial support for their entire education while not having a clear path to permanent residency and citizenship. In most cases, refugees must demonstrate economic self-sufficiency and the ability to secure employment for themselves and their family members. In the United States, refugees have typically faced tall barriers to access higher education. The UN also recently reported that more than 7 million children – about half of the world’s 14.8 million refugee children – were not enrolled in school. “Like the Peace Corps, we hope the Welcome Corps will become a widely resonant, inspiring and, dare I say it, an iconic American institution that reflects our highest values: generosity, compassion volunteerism.” Julieta Valls Noyes, assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, speaks at the launch event for the Welcome Corps on Campus.Īt the end of 2022, 108.4 million people were forcibly displaced – an increase of 19 million people compared to 2021, according to a United Nations report. refugee resettlement program in over 40 years,” Julieta Valls Noyes, assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, said at the event. “The Welcome Corps is the single boldest innovation in the U.S. The event, hosted in the Copley Formal Lounge on the university’s main campus, brought together State Department representatives, college presidents and higher education leaders, and refugee students and advocates to discuss the barriers to immigration and education that refugee students face and the importance of creating a sustainable pathway to education and resettlement in the U.S. The program plans to expand to other regions in the coming years. The first cohort of students, who are currently living in East Africa and Jordan, will begin their first year at higher education institutions in fall 2024. And all of us, no matter where we call home, are connected.”ĭeGioia is a founding member of the Presidents’ Alliance, a group of higher education leaders working together on immigration issues that is helping to implement the program. Everyone deserves the opportunity to pursue an education. “Each of us has a role to play in expanding access and opportunity around our globe. “This work could not take place at a more urgent moment for our global family,” Georgetown President John J. DeGioia gives opening remarks at the Welcome Corps on Campus event. Colleges and universities in the program will provide students with funding, sponsorship and support as they begin their new lives in the U.S. The program, Welcome Corps on Campus, created in July of this year, offers students living abroad both a pathway to education and permanent residency and citizenship.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |