My name is Rosana Albano, and I am an SIS Senior majoring in Human Development and Family Science.
I had been volunteering for several years at a local food pantry, so I thought I would try to find an organization with similar services to do my internship. I signed up as a volunteer at Catholic Charities, and a few months later I received an e mail in which they asked if I would be interested in a volunteer position as a translator.
I replied by saying I would be interested but needed to find a place to do my internship first. I was referred to Leann, who is the volunteer coordinator, and who informed me that Catholic Charities offered internship opportunities as well. I learned they had a program call Migration and Refugee Services, and that is where I chose to do my internship.
I started assisting Susan, who works as a School Liaison. A typical day would be helping her with clients’ files, making calls to Spanish speaking clients to check on their children, filling up school registration forms, uploading information to a website called “Refugee solutions,” and helping other case managers with translation and file organization as well.
My course work has been extremely helpful as I found myself connecting situations during my internship with classes and topics that I have studied in various courses. I was also trusted to be a case manager for two Spanish speaking families, checking on them, providing resources if they needed suggestions or asked for help, and keeping in touch with them via phone calls or messaging.
This internship has been a very positive experience for me personally, as it has helped me to become someone who can provide help for those who need it, and give support and encouragement to families during their transition time and first few months in a new country/culture.
Some of the most rewarding moments during my first internship had to do with welcoming families who had arrived as refugees from areas of conflict or who were running away from difficult governments. Seeing them hopeful and ready for a new life in our country was a special moment for me.
I would encourage any classmates who are interested in working with immigrant families to think of Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee services as a great place to learn, apply what we have been taught in our HDFS classes, and be ready to help all those who are looking for a new life and better opportunities for their children and families.
March 05, 2025