REFUGE UC: Reflecting On Quality Mentorship
- Ravi Patel
- Feb 18
- 5 min read
Intro
It's February 9th, 2022, and I got an email from Refuge UC saying, "After a successful week of interviewing, we're so excited to welcome you to the team!" What is Refuge UC? Refuge is a mentorship program where members are committed to building genuine connections with refugee students. Refuge addresses the challenges refugees face after resettlement and focuses on alleviating education concerns for refugee students.
Why did I join Refuge? As a more reserved individual, I wanted to develop my leadership and communication skills. Refuge was an opportunity for me to grow and build connections with people. I was also looking to fulfill my service advocacy assignment for my Intermediate Composition class and needed volunteer hours. So, Refuge felt like the perfect student organization for me to join when I was looking to be involved in more clubs at the University of Cincinnati.
Mentoring
"I love Refuge because of the connections you can form. I found it amazing that regardless of our different backgrounds, my mentees and I were able to connect so much with each other and were both able to teach the other person valuable lessons. Every mentoring session was different, which was something else that I loved. They ranged from helping my mentee learn English, to playing Uno, to visiting the farm at Aiken; the mentees can decide what they want the sessions to be." – Areeba Khan
As a member of Refuge, we have the role of mentor, and we provide our mentees guidance, support, and encouragement so they can fulfill their goals or aspirations. All mentors meet their mentees weekly for a 1 hour session (at Aiken or Withrow High School). Refuge exec assembles our mentoring schedule based on availability, logistical factors, and preferences. They place us in specific time slots with other mentors and check if our meeting time also works for our mentees. Refuge understands college students have a chaotic schedule, so they prioritize flexibility by having only 2-3 general body meetings a semester.
Refuge's general body meetings are very diverse. Our exec team allows mentors to play fun games and interact with one another. We are informed about potential challenges refugees face regarding education, lifestyle changes, housing, etc. The exec team has us brainstorm and provide feedback on what we can do to make their lives easier and what society can do.
My Mentee
"I love Refuge and what it stands for because it provides a community for mentees who may need it and helps mentors learn more about different cultures and global situations. I loved getting to know my mentees and what makes them who they are!" – Nikita Morjaria
As a mentor, I felt a little nervous meeting my mentee for the first time. I was concerned about what I would talk about in the initial meeting. However, I wasn't alone; another mentor I was carpooling with expressed the same opinion. Fortunately, my nervousness disappeared, and I had a good first meeting with my mentee. We talked about our interests and hobbies and shared a few similarities. At the time, he was doing track and cross country. These are the same sports I had participated in while in high school. He also likes spicy food as much as I do. I also learned that he plays soccer and that his favorite soccer team is Arsenal. He even showed me some of his soccer highlights, which I later recommended he share with scouts.
Overall, it was a great first day getting to know him, and it was only the first of many mentoring sessions I would have with him. I would mentor him throughout my entire time with Refuge (from Spring 2022 to Spring 2023). There were times when mentoring him; I felt like my job was easy. From a young age, he displayed talent and maturity I hadn't achieved at his age, and from getting to know him, he's confident in his career path. He even published a book about his life story, an incredible feat. Sometimes, it's the mentors who their mentees inspire.
Tip: To prevent the image from being blurry, save it when it's in full screen mode.
My Peers
"RefugeUC has been an incredible opportunity to interact with immigrants and refugees in our Cincinnati community. Not only have I been able to improve my empathy, leadership, and problem-solving skills, but I have also been able to interact with teenagers who have been through extraordinary circumstances and learn from their resilience! It's honestly so much fun and feels so great to be able to be a resource for kids that need a shoulder to lean on!" – Tarini Talagadadeevi
During my first semester at Refuge, I got to know other mentors in my timeslot, such as Dhruv Amin, Nikita Morjaria, and Tarini Talagadadeevi. We would have competitive UNO matches, and I quickly learned that UNO rules are subjective. Sometimes, I would come close to winning, but unfortunately, I didn't say "UNO OUT" after putting down my final card. I had never come across this particular wrinkle in the game before, but I respected the increased difficulty of winning.
On days when there isn't much to discuss with our mentees, many mentors and mentees will get together and play rounds of UNO, a game that has become a staple in the Refuge UC community. Playing UNO or other games makes mentoring sessions more relaxed. Mentors can build connections with their peers through interactions, carpooling, mentoring sessions, and Refuge's general body meetings.
Inspirations
"I've been part of Refuge since my first year! This club has taught me much about the importance of connections and their profound impact on others and myself. Spending time with my mentees has helped me grow and broaden my worldview. I also love the supportive and inspiring community of mentors; they've taught me the importance of collaboration. My two favorite Refuge moments were teaching Garba to one of my mentees and helping my freshman-year mentee with her college applications." – Diya Patel
I joined Refuge to develop my leadership and communication skills, but I was also striving for something else: respect and validation from my peers. In college, I attended student organization events for many organizations, and I feel inspired by the people who helped these organizations succeed. I considered these people skilled, and I wanted to become a talented individual who could leave his mark at UC.
For Refuge, these people I looked up to were exec team members. Specifically, the graduating students when I was in Refuge during Spring 2023. I would stay longer after gen-body meetings to talk with the exec team. I did this not only because I wanted to remove my reserved nature but also because these people were individuals I held in high regard and appreciated. So, doing my best and gaining their respect was something I valued. These people are the ones who motivated me to do more incredible things later on in other student organizations (like Midwest Dhamaka and UC SAASA). Thank you, Adam Elzarka, Areeba Khan, and Sonali Doshi!
Closing
I hope you enjoyed this blog post! I had experienced writer's block for a while, so I apologize to those expecting me to post much earlier. I'm glad I could showcase my appreciation for Refuge. I want to thank Refuge's Public Relations Chair, Taryn Meyer, for allowing me to make this blog post! The four pictures are from Refuge's social media pages. I created the phone wallpaper in Canva using images from Refuge's past Instagram posts via Refuge UC and Refuge Collaborative's Instagram accounts. With Refuge, I fulfilled my mission of becoming a better leader and communicator. I also gained respect from my contemporaries. I will cherish my Refuge experience for a long time.
Marketing
Links
Komentarze