When OU senior Morgan Chen arrived at the University of Oklahoma as a freshman, she knew she wanted a career that would support refugees and immigrants.
“Many of my family members are immigrants who relied on the help of their community to adjust to life in the U.S.,” Morgan said. “Unfortunately, many immigrants and refugees face hostile environments when they arrive in the U.S.”
The moment she arrived on campus, she began her search for opportunities to support refugees and immigrants. Quickly, Morgan found internship positions for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and The Spero Project.
Every member of the OU Family is committed to making a difference, and that includes positively impacting local communities. Morgan was no different. Her work with The Spero Project, an Oklahoma City non-profit organization that connects refugees to local resources, learning opportunities, and communities, has allowed her to make a lasting impact on a local and state level.
“At The Spero Project, I worked in an afterschool program for young students from refugee families,” Morgan said. “I planned and led lessons related to life skills and academic interests for elementary and middle school students. All of these students came from unique backgrounds, so my biggest responsibility was ensuring each student’s needs and interests were met.”
For Morgan, every day working for IRC, a national not-for-profit organization with the mission to help people whose lives are affected by conflict and climate crisis, looked different.
“IRC was a flexible, dynamic environment that taught me to adjust to the needs of the people we supported,” Morgan said. “I worked with resettlement caseworkers who were responsible for ensuring people who had just arrived in the U.S. could meet all their basic needs.”
These tasks included helping people apply for their social security cards, grocery shopping, searching for housing, and completing paperwork.
Morgan believes that the best thing an OU student can do for their future is to connect with their professors and ask about internship opportunities.
“Let them know what you’re interested in, what you want to do in the future, and what kind of opportunities you are seeking now as a student,” Morgan said. “OU professors are invested in the success of their students and they are one of the best resources when you need to find opportunities and secure them. I believe one of the biggest reasons why I had these internship opportunities with IRC and The Spero Project was because of their help and professional connections.”
