Giulianna

By: Wafae Rachih//

Giulianna is from Toledo, Ohio and is a student at Loyola University Chicago and studies journalism along with Spanish, Arabic, and political science. Giulianna began at FORA as a Loyola work study tutor and is now a full time volunteer. Prior to FORA, Giulianna taught kids with physical and mental disabilities to figure skate as she was a competitive figure skater herself for 13 years.

When asked about how she learned about the organization, Giulianna said, “I learned about FORA online and I committed to the program because I believe access to education is a basic right everyone should have. Refugee education matters to me because literacy opens a new world of creativity and allows people to express themselves.”

“A highlight of my FORA experience is connecting with the students,” said Giulianna. “Each day I get to greet the students at the door and talk about our days.”

During her time at FORA, Giulianna mentioned that she has noticed the students have developed the initiative to do their homework as soon as they enter FORA. She believes this signifies that the students really care about the work they turn in to their teacher and their hard work will lead to outstanding results inside and outside of school.

Outside of FORA, Giulianna likes to paint and read non-fiction. Recently she has started to design cards by carving designs into lino blocks and printing them onto paper.

“I'm overjoyed to continue as a tutor and intern at FORA and would invite anyone who values refugee education to volunteer.”