Cultural Broker at the Russian Community Association of Massachusetts, MPP Program
“As a person who is not from this country, and who has been working with refugees since before coming to the United States, I am trying to be a leader of sorts for the community. I needed to know about the policies behind the building of the different systems here, and how these policies shifted over time. Small details with which any American is familiar are not necessarily known by the refugee or immigrant community. With regards to the welfare system especially, seeing the wrongs in the relationship between the government and beneficiaries kept my interest in the policy field growing. I chose UEP in order to help me reach my goal of finding a way to present what’s happening and find a way to report wrongdoers.
“UEP is helping me greatly, because I am learning not only from my classes, but from the students and the different communities they are from. I appreciate the very hands-on curriculum that Tufts has to offer, especially because I am getting out into the community and making my own connections with the help of UEP faculty. Tufts University carries a well-rounded reputation, serving essentially as a “key” to enter into many different companies, organizations, and careers. Those who know Tufts and the UEP department know that I will have received a quality education.
“After learning so much about policy and how to implement it, I will be able to serve as a community activist who will fight for the rights of the people I serve. That is a big part of my hope for the future – knowing what is right and what is wrong for the immigrant and refugee communities. I want to help those communities here feel immersed in American society, instead of always remaining strangers. I see myself becoming a policy analyst, someone who works for both the people and those who create policy. I want to be the one who studies how systems are being used, analyze the flaws, and how programs can then be remedied.”