Salve Regina celebrates inaugural class of Welcome Corps on Campus

Salve Regina is among the 17 higher education institutions welcoming the inaugural cohort of refugee students arriving through Welcome Corps on Campus. Through this first-of-its-kind program, campuses nationwide can welcome and privately sponsor academically qualified refugee students through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Salve Regina will welcome two first-year students this fall through the program.

“The Welcome Corps on Campus has set in motion a transformative shift in how higher education institutions can build community on campus while also addressing the global refugee crisis,” said Nele Feldmann, associate director of the Welcome Corps on Campus. “Students, faculty, staff and institutional leaders across the country are embodying America’s longstanding tradition of providing refuge by offering these students this life-changing opportunity.”

Erin FitzGerald, director of the Center for Global Education and Fellowships, together with the Department of Social Work, initiated Salve Regina’s participation in the program. To become a host institution, the University had to establish a team of 10 members who all received Welcome Corps training, went through background checks and met regularly to organize support for the participating students – everything from helping them secure and prepare housing to enrolling in classes, accessing social services and integrating as new members of the campus community.

In addition to Fitzgerald, the Welcome Corps on Campus team includes student sponsor Hailey Daviau; Casey Donahue, assistant director, international student services and exchange partner programs; Elizabeth Galvin, director of health services; Dr. Mary Montminy-Danna, professor and chair of the Department of Social Work; James Mournighan, director of residence life; Lauren Neary, medical administrative assistant; Kelly O’Malley, social work lecturer; Dr. Heather Pizzanello, assistant professor of social work; Kelly Powers, director of the Center for Community Engagement and Service; and Kathleen Rendos, assistant director of the Center for Community Engagement and Service.

Student sponsor Hailey Daviau brings supplies to set up the residence hall room for the Welcome Corps on Campus students’ arrival.

Daviau, a social work major, said that being a sponsor in the program is “a profoundly meaningful experience. It has allowed me to make human connections that will last a lifetime, connect my classroom experience as a social work student to a larger mission and has allowed me to create a welcoming environment to these students. All of which I will take with me in my future career and continuing learning of various populations I may work with.

“The program is particularly important because a college campus is an organic place for a successful resettlement,” she added. “On campus we have a chapel, health services, counseling services, education, food access, housing access and more, all within walking distance to one another.”

“Salve is committed to living out our mercy mission in tangible ways, and our participation in the Welcome Corps on Campus enables us to further the work we have been doing to support displaced and refugee students since 2012,” said Dr. Kelli J. Armstrong, president. “As part of this national network, we will be able to offer students even more support in their educational journeys. We’re inspired by the courage and perseverance of these students and our community will be made better by their presence.”

Daviau believes the experience is helping her to actively engage with the University’s mission. “Through this role I have been able to create a more inclusive and understanding community,” she said. “I have committed myself to lead this whole experience with compassionate support for these students while they navigate their new environment. This role has also allowed me to promote equality for them and has personally allowed me to face and learn more about the inequalities that most refugees have been presented with in their lives. These students have taught me so much and I am so grateful for them and the things I was able to learn by being a student sponsor in this program.”