Meet a Silver Student Weaving Together Social Work and Human Rights

Raea’s interest in human rights began long before NYU. Growing up a transgender woman in Texas, she advocated strongly for access to gender-affirming care and protested against conversion therapy. “That work was my first touchpoint in the world of policy, human rights, and law,” she says. “It’s what set me on this entire path.” 

Raea was also drawn to the topic of migration because of her Yiayia—her grandmother—who was born in Egypt, forcibly displaced, and afterwards faced statelessness. Raea’s Yiayia had a profound impact on her life. Thus, ACATHI’s work supporting LGBTQ+ migrants presented an ideal combination of two important aspects of her personal history.

Half of Raea’s internship involved supporting ACATHI’s educational initiatives through research and framework development. The other half allowed her to engage in real-world social work. She helped English-speaking immigrants and asylum seekers complete their asylum applications, translated for social workers, and supported programming. She also led a series called Welcome Points, which introduced asylum seekers to ACATHI, Spain, and important information like how to access public healthcare.  

“Working directly with migrants was the most impactful experience I’ve ever had,” says Raea. “I got to be their first point of contact and then work with them throughout their asylum application process. All of them had faced awful experiences. This was an opportunity to build trust so they felt comfortable speaking with me about what they’d been through.” 

Raea felt the impact of her work during Barcelona Pride, a particularly special day for her. While riding atop a parade float with other transgender community members, she recognized a couple in the crowd smiling and waving at her. They were asylum seekers whom Raea had worked with at ACATHI when they first arrived in Spain.

“They looked so happy,” says Raea. “And they were holding hands, which is something they wouldn’t have done when they first got to us. I was a part of their social work team, so it was really nice to see their joy.” 

Raea’s experience at Pride reinforced her feeling that joy can hold immense power for members of the LGBTQ+ community, particularly the migrants she worked with. “For them, this joy is an act of resistance. Their human rights had previously been breached in so many ways, and now they’re celebrating and living freely.”