Through Mentorship, Gaining Confidence to Succeed
When Dianelis Sosa Miranda arrived in Chattanooga, she had her mother, her older sister, and just a few English words. At her new American high school, so different from the one she left behind in Cuba, she felt overwhelmed. Making the transition even more challenging — she didn’t know what anyone was saying. “If I… Continue Reading
Keeping His Eye on the Ball
Keeping His Eye on the Ball For as long as he can remember, baseball has been the great passion of Anyersox Sequera Alvarez’s life. “I started playing baseball since I have memory, pretty much since I’m conscious,” Anyersox said through a translator. His parents encouraged his baseball career when he was a child and then… Continue Reading
A Woman of Determination
A Woman of Determination Amid a sea of students graduating from Chattanooga State Community College this spring, Randa Iteim received special recognition, and for good reason. Randa was graduating from Chattanooga State’s pharmacy technician program, but that was far from her only accomplishment. Randa, who is now 38, withstood terrible fear and threats of violence… Continue Reading
Hopeful Her Story Can Be An Inspiration
Amani Alkellaney was a freshman in high school when the Iraq War started, sending her family into years of upheaval as they fled their home in Iraq, living temporarily in Jordan and then Syria before eventually making their way to Oak Ridge. Now 34, Amani is a college graduate with a career that has taken… Continue Reading
Finding a Home in Sevierville
In the summer of 2023, when Svitlana Bielun and her family arrived in the United States from Ukraine, they made a new home in Sevierville, a small city southeast of Knoxville. After a brief stay in a hotel, Svitlana and her husband, Illia, rented an apartment for themselves and their two young children. They bought… Continue Reading
Growing Refugees’ Opportunities and Wealth
As a single mom with poor health and limited job prospects, Olive has worried about how she’ll become self-sufficient since arriving in Knoxville as a refugee four years ago. “It’s been hard, but Bridge was helping us for everything that we were going through,” she said. “I really appreciate them.” Thanks to Bridge Refugee Services’… Continue Reading
More than a Mentorship
Juan Perdomo Ramirez gained more than a mentor when he enrolled in Bridge Refugee Services’ Youth Mentor Program. He found a friend to support and encourage him through the ups and downs of pursuing his goals as a refugee building a new life in East Tennessee. “I have somebody who cares about me and I… Continue Reading
A former client gives back by continuing her story as an interpreter.
Mona Alkhodor counts the day she became an interpreter for Bridge Refugee Services among one of three milestones in her refugee resettlement journey that made her shed happy tears. “I came here as a refugee from Iraq in 2009 with my husband and three children,” she said. “We arrived in Chattanooga on September 9, 2009,… Continue Reading
Bridge Refugee Services’ new Executive Director hopes to cast a wider net when it comes to resettlement in East Tennessee.
“I want to see what I can do to streamline processes, make things simpler and better utilize resources so we can impact the most people we can,” said Stephanie Livigni. “For 2023 and beyond, being able to impact as many people as possible and looking at what else we can provide – resettlement services, plus… Continue Reading
Venezuelan family of six turns to a Bridge Refugee Services Community Assistance Team (CAT) for help and friendship.
As a Venezuelan family of six has adjusted to life in East Tennessee, they’ve turned to a Bridge Refugee Services Community Assistance Team (CAT) for help and friendship. “They help with everything,” said Asdrubal, who resettled in Chattanooga in early June with his wife, Miley, and their four sons: Adrian, 18, Alexander, 15, Axel, 5,… Continue Reading