“The supreme law of the land!” A middle aged woman from Burma shouts at me excitedly as I stand in the front of the classroom. “Team one officially takes the lead. You better pick up the pace team two,” I jokingly reply back as I make a tally mark on the whiteboard.
It is Saturday morning and I am teaching a class filled to the brim with people from every corner of the globe: some from the streets of Latin American countries destabilized by organized crime and others from villages in Burma that were ravaged by a military junta. Today, regardless of background and circumstance, we are all gathered in a classroom that is adorned with several American flags to discuss the basic tenets of the United States Constitution. There aren’t many things that will get me out of bed at 6:30 am on a Saturday morning, but showing up to my classroom at Catholic Charities to a room full of enthusiastic individuals who truly want to learn more about the United States and to one day become citizens is certainly one of them. I have grown to love this Saturday morning ritual, and it’s not just because several of my students bring me …show more content…
As I became more involved on campus, I began to learn more about the institutional challenges that recent immigrants face. As Vice President of the Student Body, I created and chaired the Diversity Affairs Committee, which established a dialogue between international students at the fifth most diverse campus in the United States and their student government. This led to plans for a more thorough international student orientation; more diverse meal options that can accommodate dietary restrictions from various cultures; and (fingers crossed) plans for more affordable student
It is Saturday morning and I am teaching a class filled to the brim with people from every corner of the globe: some from the streets of Latin American countries destabilized by organized crime and others from villages in Burma that were ravaged by a military junta. Today, regardless of background and circumstance, we are all gathered in a classroom that is adorned with several American flags to discuss the basic tenets of the United States Constitution. There aren’t many things that will get me out of bed at 6:30 am on a Saturday morning, but showing up to my classroom at Catholic Charities to a room full of enthusiastic individuals who truly want to learn more about the United States and to one day become citizens is certainly one of them. I have grown to love this Saturday morning ritual, and it’s not just because several of my students bring me …show more content…
As I became more involved on campus, I began to learn more about the institutional challenges that recent immigrants face. As Vice President of the Student Body, I created and chaired the Diversity Affairs Committee, which established a dialogue between international students at the fifth most diverse campus in the United States and their student government. This led to plans for a more thorough international student orientation; more diverse meal options that can accommodate dietary restrictions from various cultures; and (fingers crossed) plans for more affordable student