Our three extraordinary CUNY Career Launch interns, Jolie Camara, Stephanie Cruz-Lopez, and Moheeb Kaied completed their Social Services Access Team internship at Cafewal, a resource center for asylum seekers located in NYC’s East Village. During their 6-week internship Stephanie, Moheeb, and Jolie each worked more than 114 hours, helping over 160 community members navigate immigration issues, apply for work authorization, create resumes, find employment, and obtain social services and benefits. 

Interns Jolie Camara, Stephanie Cruz-Lopez, and Moheeb Kaied on the last day of their internship (Photo by Diamy Bah).

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Our interns became familiar with the immigration system, New York’s social services, and the various application processes necessary to access these systems. They also learn how to work with interpreters and other volunteers. 

Moheeb Kaied is an urban studies major at Hunter College. Born in Yemen and raised in Brooklyn, he is deeply committed to helping refugees and immigrants in underserved communities.  In addition to helping community members access resources, Moheeb also tracks the type of assistance he and his colleagues are providing in order to assess the internship’s impact. Moheeb is interested in working with community-based organizations to gain the skills necessary to build a better future for refugees and New York City as a whole. 

Jolie Camara studies political science at Hunter College with a minor in international relations. She is also earning a certificate in human rights. Jolie’s personal experience of coming to New York seven years ago led her to RTP and Cafewal. She understands the struggle that new arrivals go through and wants to help people feel welcome in New York. Jolie applies her Bambara, Mandingo, and French fluency to help people feel seen and understood.

Stephanie Cruz-Lopez double majors in English and Spanish at Baruch College. As a first generation Mexican American, she understands the fear and hardships her family experienced when making a new life here and is driven to help others who are undergoing the same process. Stephanie uses her language skills to make the space more inclusive to Spanish-speakers, while also working with volunteer interpreters to assist speakers of other languages. 

Impact report created by intern Moheeb Kaied.