1. tell us about your internship at amani. which department are you in and what kind of projects have you been working on?
I have gotten to work in various departments, including shadowing substance use prevention groups, working with victim care, compiling translated resources for caseworkers in different departments, and tutoring clients who are preparing for their citizenship exam. It has been exciting and insightful to see all that Amani offers in different capacities for clients who are refugees and immigrants.
2. how did you get connected to amani?
I first heard about Amani Family Services when I had Melissa Grossman as my professor for the Global Social Work course in my graduate program.
3. What brought you to Fort Wayne, IN?
My husband took a new job which is here in Fort Wayne, so we moved our remaining family here! (We also have adult children who are spread throughout the Midwest.)
4. What excites you most about Amani’s mission?
Amani is dedicated to partnering with clients, seeing them as the experts of their lives as they navigate challenges. They also have a vision to see immigrants and refugees welcomed in the greater community. It’s exciting to think about how we all can contribute to that!
5. What is your favorite part of your internship?
My favorite part has been learning so much about the barriers immigrants and refugees face and seeing the strengths and resilience they bring into their circumstances. I feel challenged to learn more about the people around me and to notice strengths in people who are not like me.
6. What challenges have you faced in your role and/or department?
It has been challenging to learn about the complexity of laws and procedures around immigration that clients navigate and how to keep up with them, as they are changing regularly.
7. What should community members know about Amani and what we do?
Amani is a great partner for anyone who has questions or wants to grow in their understanding of cultural competency. They also provide trainings for other organizations and are part of Welcoming Fort Wayne.
8. What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I’m a Teacher of English Learners at Southwick Elementary (Go Eagles!) and I enjoy that very much! But I also love traveling, finding great hiking paths, and enjoying a game night with friends.
9. What is something surprising that not many people know about you?
I used to live in Australia when I was small and had an Australian accent. (We have proof on cassette tapes that my mom made- a looong time ago!) But I lost my accent when we moved back to the States.
10. Any advice for students interested in an internship at amani?
Amani is a great place to learn a lot about people here in Fort Wayne and the interconnections of resources that are available. Anything you learn here will be very applicable for the next place you go!