DAILY LOBO new mexico
Lazaro Cardenas from Full Circle
tuesday The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
April 6, 2010
Students help refugees live an American life
Fire discovered man
by Leah Valencia Daily Lobo
Students are helping refugees make the transition to life in America. The Refugee Well-being Project, a class offered through the psychology and anthropology departments, gives students the opportunity to work with refugees who are resettling in New Mexico. Program Director Jessica Goodkind said that although some of the stresses refugees endure come from past traumas, others stem from tasks refugees have to face in the United States. “A lot of the stress is due to how difficult it is to start life in a new place,” Goodkind said. “You don’t know anyone. You don’t have access to the resources that you need.” The two-semester-long program trains students how to act as advocates for the refugees they are partnered with, said course instructor Brian Isakson. “We spend time talking about refugee situations in different countries,” Isakson said. “We talk about conflicts in general and what causes
the conflicts.” Michelle Foley, a student in the class, said students learn necessary history and skills that will help them bridge the gap for their refugee families. Foley said it is rewarding to see her efforts pay off when her partner family starts achieving their goals without help. “When I first started working with them they always wanted me to go places with them,” she said. “Now they are doing it on their own.” Goodkind said since the program started in 2006, 83 students have worked with 135 refugees from places like Liberia, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Eritrea and Iraq. Foley said before she started the class she knew very little about Iraq and its culture, but now she understands it better and has grown to love it. “It has changed my perspective on so many things and has really impacted me as a person,” she said. “I am so grateful for all that this has taught me.”
see Refugees page 3
Plan designed to create local jobs for UNM grads by Kallie Red-Horse Daily Lobo
Junfu Han / Daily Lobo Top: A helicopter dumps water on the blaze Monday afternoon. Bottom: Albuquerque firefighters wave on an envoy of AFD vehicles near the Hispanic Cultural Center on Monday. The Bosque caught fire near the center, and smoke could be seen and smelled on campus. As a result, a UNM TextMe alert was sent out warning students with respiratory illnesses to stay indoors.
Inside the
Daily Lobo volume 114
issue 129
Mayor Richard Berry wants the Anderson School of Management’s help in rejuvenating Albuquerque’s economy. In his three-prong plan, Berry announced a partnership with the school to educate the next generation of Albuquerque business people. Dean of the Anderson School of Management, Doug Brown, said Berry’s business background gives him the skills to restructure the economy. “Economic development is clearly a high priority for Berry. He comes from the private sector and is a business person himself, not a career politician,” he said. “He knows where they are coming from and he himself is an Anderson graduate, as is his wife. We claim them both proudly.” Berry’s plan, which includes strengthening local businesses, has the foundation for success, Brown said. “He understands that real job creation comes from businesses,” he said. “Government jobs can fill gaps but you and I as taxpayers are paying for them. Business jobs truly create true economic growth in the economy.” Berry is encouraging students to succeed in business through
Artist’s Avenue
‘Pella good
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sponsorship, Brown said. “The city will sponsor a $5,000 prize in our business plan competition that we are having here,” he said. “That is a specific thing that the city is working with us on.” John Benavidez, UNM marketing lecturer, said students graduate from Anderson with an education but limited local opportunities. “Our students are amazing,” he said. “One of the problems is that they get a great education and graduate and a lot of them want to stay here, but they don’t necessarily find the jobs that you could find in other markets.” Bringing in larger companies, or expanding local ones, will help the New Mexican market grow, Benavidez said. “A lot of the jobs here are government jobs, which aren’t a bad thing, but I think diversifying the economy is the most important thing for Albuquerque and getting jobs coming in,” he said. “There is definitely a pool of willing and able graduates to fill those jobs.” The collaboration between UNM and the city will provide students with greater learning and employment opportunities, Brown said. “We are working with them on a whole number of fronts,” he said. “In addition to the job creation from successful enterprises, there will be internship opportunities and employment opportunities for some of our people.”
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