Psychology student helps refugees navigate new lives in Milwaukee

Aiden Woolsey’s job is to teach people how to use the bus. It may seem like a small or unnecessary task, but for the refugees he’s working with, it can mean the world.

Woolsey is a refugee resettlement intern working with the International Institute of Wisconsin. The organization helps refugees and immigrants transition to their new homes by offering everying from language classes to cultural orientation to, yes, lessons in how to ride public transportation.

For Woolsey, a UWM student majoring in psychology and religious studies, the internship is a way to build experience while helping some of Milwaukee’s newest – and more vulnerable – residents.

“I mainly work with refugees from the Congo or Burma (Myanmar),” Woolsey said. “It’s been an opportunity where I’ve been able to challenge and push myself out of my comfort zone to be an advocate for somebody else and make sure their needs are met.”

Refugees to the United States are fleeing violence or persecution for their race, religion, nationality, social group, or political views in their home countries. They undergo a years-long application processes before being resettled around the country, where they face the challenge of learning to integrate into their new home. They not onlyhave to contend with finding work, learning English, and dealing with culture shock, but they also have to navigate tasks that Americans often take for granted, like going to the grocery store or riding the bus.

That’s why one of Woolsey’s main job duties is introducing refugees to the Milwaukee County Transit System.

Aiden Woolsey is a refugee resettlement intern with the International Institute of Wisconsin. Photo courtesy of Aiden Woolsey.

“We go stop-by-stop, pointing out street signs and stop signs. I take them to a bus stop and we go over everything,” Woolsey said. “I explain paying, or scanning a card, and the different signs and symbols. Once we’re close to our location, I teach them how to get off.”

Even innocuous things can present a puzzle to someone who has spent their entire life in another country.

“I’ll often point out, when I’m walking with clients, what is a fire hydrant, and what does it do. Do we touch it? Do we do anything with it?” Woolsey said. “I point out various things in the environment to assess what refugees know. It’s a way to introduce them to new things and also practice speaking English.”

In addition, he lends a hand during English as a Second Language courses and cultural orientation classes, as well as organizing and filing around the office.

Woolsey started his internship in May and has found many opportunities to use his UWM education in his work.

“My psychology classes have played a role in how I teach a class, or how I interact with the people I work with,” he said. “My religious studies classes give me a broad sense and understanding of how religion and culture (can shape) our interactions and their experience here. It’s given me a basic perspective and understanding of where others are coming from.”

Woolsey will graduate in December. He hopes to take a year off before continuing his psychology education in graduate school. Until then, you can find him on the bus, helping Milwaukee’s newest residents navigate their home.

By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science