April 8, 2022

Expanding University Involvement

Written by Brandi Kilmer
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Brandi Kilmer, Director of Community Programs, at George Washington University's Refugee Awareness Week

On Monday, 4 April 2022, I represented Their Story is Our Story at the George Washington University (GW) campus as No Lost Generation-GW launched their Refugee Awareness Week. University campuses are some of the most vibrant centers for bridging learning with activism. For students who want to learn more and support refugee children and adolescents, No Lost Generation (NLG) provides a channel for students on many campuses to get involved. Recently through No Lost Generation’s efforts, GW passed an initiative to expand enrollment of students with refugee backgrounds. Other university students throughout the U.S. are supporting refugee resettlement through the Every Campus a Refuge initiative where university campuses host newly arrived refugee families and support them in their resettlement.

It was energizing to talk to savvy students and strengthen our relationship with our community partners NoVa Friends of Refugees, One Journey Festival, Lutheran Social Services (LSSNCA), Jesuit Refugee Service, UNHCR, and Safe Haven Space. TSOS applauds all the ways university students are helping to create welcoming and inclusive communities. If you are a university student (or know one), we hope you will get involved in the TSOS internship program, volunteer with one of our community partners, or start a refugee initiative at a campus near you.

Other Posts

De-skilling and the Mental Health Effects Among Refugee Physicians

Discussions of physician workforce policy tend to organize themselves around numbers. Shortage projections, residency slot allocations, and licensing timelines dominate the literature, and for understandable reasons. More than 83 million people in the United States currently live in areas without sufficient access to a primary care physician, and projections suggest the country could face a shortage of as many as 120,000 physicians by 2030.

August 12, 2026
What would you do if you had to leave everything behind?

By the end of 2025, more than 117.8 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced by war, persecution, or human rights abuses — and 45 million of them are children.

They arrive in refugee camps and countries seeking safety and carrying little: legal papers, if they're lucky. A backpack. A child's hand in theirs.

What they carry that we can't see is heavier: fractured families, homes they'll never return to, professions they loved, friends and relatives they may never see again.

In a climate where immigrant stories are often ignored or twisted, we believe stories are a form of justice. When someone shares what they survived, they reclaim their voice. When we amplify it through film, photography, and advocacy, the world listens. Hearts soften. Policy begins to shift.

Because when a lawmaker sees a person instead of a statistic, and a neighbor understands instead of fears, rebuilding becomes possible.

Your support helps us share these stories where they matter most.

— Kristen Smith Dayley, Executive Director, Their Story is Our Story

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