(L-R) Emily Teter, Eileen Dinn '19, Emily Muldoon '12, Tesfay Rezene, Katy Prebble
In observance of National Migration Week, the Holy Cross community gathered for a student-initiated assembly focusing on what it means to be a refugee, and what the Catholic church teaches about immigration. Eileen Dinn '19 worked with Director of Social Justice Emily Teter to organize the presentation with members of the Holy Cross Student Council and Pro-Life Club.
In addition to the information presented by the students, alumna Emily Muldoon '12 shared about her work with Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area, where she works to support refugees, asylum seekers, and victims of trafficking in reaching self-sufficiency upon their arrival in the United States. Emily introduced Tesfay Rezene who spoke about his harrowing journey, fleeing from his small village in Eritrea at age 14 due to what the United Nations describes as "blatant disrespect for human rights." He lived in a refugee camp for three years in Ethiopia until he gained refugee status to come to the United States as an unaccompanied minor. At just 17-years-old, speaking no English, he lived with a foster family in Silver Spring. He attended high school and college and graduated from Penn State University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Global Studies. He now works with Emily at Lutheran Social Services. Emily said, "He is the embodiment of resilience...He reminds [clients] that a better, safer life is possible, [and] he is a living example of this."
