Last updated: Dec. 20, 2024
Community Engagement
At Refugee and Immigrant Voices in Action (RIVA), I was the Digital Media Instructional Coordinator dedicated to community empowerment through research and education. I coordinated research projects, sharpening my communication skills with diverse stakeholders, including federal- and state-level partners.
Using Research to Build ‘Silo-Busting’ Local Collaborations
to Improve Immigrant Health Equity ($50,000)
March 2023 – January 2024
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This was a collaborative research project to identify the citywide collaborative social and health services infrastructures for immigrants and refugees. The collaboration includes the Urban Institute, the Protecting Immigrant Families coalition, and RIVA/EMBARC.
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I coordinated with RIVA’s R&D Director to establish and oversee the timelines to meet the project’s deadlines.
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I oversaw stakeholder interviews in Des Moines and Iowa City, training interviewers and facilitators. I also facilitated focus groups. I managed interview schedules, data, and participant incentives, culminating in reports that illuminated the efficacy of community organizations in reducing public service barriers.
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I conducted comprehensive data analysis and delivered strategic insights to funders, revealing the integral roles of community-based organizations in immigrant support infrastructures.
Data Collection Approaches for COVID-19 and Infectious Diseases Among Individuals from Burma Working in the Protein Processing Sector ($60,000)
March 2022 – January 2023
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This was a collaborative research project to develop a strategic toolkit for implementing phone interpreters in health research of hard-to-reach multilingual populations. The collaboration includes the CDC, CDC Foundation, RIVA/EMBARC, and NCFH.
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I coordinated with RIVA’s R&D Director and collaborated with research partners, designing and administering a pilot study, crafting methodology, and coordinating the recruitment and training of interpreters and observers.
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I facilitated surveys and semi-structured interviews, managing confidential data and executing incentives for participants.
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I conducted comprehensive data analysis and created reporting with final results to highlight strategies for engaging multilingual populations.
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I participated in a working paper for a journal publication, “Best Practices for Using Phone Interpretation with Multilingual Communities: Results from a Pilot Project with Agricultural and Meat Processing Workers.
Building Skills and Employment Experience for Iowa Refugees
(Coronavirus Relief Fund Project, $198,000)
November 2020 – March 2021
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This was a coronavirus relief fund project to provide digital literacy training to participants from the refugee and immigrant communities, helping them train their communities with their languages.
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The project successfully provided 30+ hours of digital literacy training to refugee participants. 73% of participants completed the training and provided training to the community in eight languages. 23% of those who completed training showed an average wage increase of 5%.
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I assisted in budgeting to establish IT infrastructure and manage resources, including laptops, projectors, and educational materials.
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I developed a digital literacy training curriculum based on community leader surveys, directed instructor recruitment, training, and management, and drafted the final grant report.
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Post-project, I advanced curriculum development and created instructor guidelines, test items, and quarterly executive reports, significantly boosting retention and test scores.