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Katia Iverson ’12

Iverson-260x300¡Hola! Habari gani?

My name is Katia Iverson. I majored in Cross-Cultural Studies at Augsburg and graduated in May of 2012.

I was fortunate enough to study both Spanish and Kiswahili languages during my four years at Augsburg and abroad in Mombasa, Kenya.

Since graduating, I have held a number of positions, but have been employed as a Refugee Program Specialist, focusing on housing refugees, at the MN Council of Churches Refugee Services since February of 2013. Here, I work directly with new refugees from around the world as they are beginning their new lives in Minnesota. I assist case managers with securing housing for our clients, and teach our clients what it means to sign a lease, how to pay rent, maintain an apartment, and live self-sufficiently. I also work with currently homeless refugees to find stable housing and meet basic needs for their families, and teach NAREW–New Arrival Refugee Empowerment Workshops for all arriving families.

I give God and my education in Cross-Cultural Studies 100% of the credit for my success in the professional world. It was through my courses in global interdependence and service-based cross-cultural internships in the community that I have found joy and peace working with clients from places like Iraq, Somalia, and Burma. Without the background in languages and travel that were fostered by the Cross-Cultural Studies curriculum, I could not understand the complexity of starting a life in urban Minnesota as I do now. This department has given me the tools I need to be successful in my workplace and around the world.

(Last update: September 2013)