Students Create Digital Collection of Stories About Refugee Resettlement in Akron

Last summer, as the Taliban took over Afghanistan, many Afghans fled the country. Some landed in Akron, where a network of volunteers and government, nonprofit and educational organizations were waiting. Akron has one of the largest refugee resettlement programs in Ohio. Their goal is to help new arrivals find not just a haven, but a home in Akron.

During the spring 2022 semester, 16 journalism students in the Advanced Magazine Writing class, taught by Professor Jacqueline Marino, went to Akron’s North Hill neighborhood, where immigrants from more than a dozen nations work and live.

Read the stories on The Resettlement Project Website

They found many stories there.

Through these pieces and more, the students reflect one collective, always-evolving story of resettlement in Akron. 

The refugee resettlement process can take years. Those who aren’t in the community themselves may have no idea a refugee is working the register at their gas station, handling their orders at the Amazon fulfillment center or packaging their chicken at a nearby factory – all while trying to attend English classes and find transportation, affordable housing and healthcare.

POSTED: Thursday, May 19, 2022 03:52 PM