Refugee Service and Research
During undergrad, my friends Nick, Michael, and I became interested in the Syrian refugee crisis. We heard a lot - both positive and negative - about the recent wave of refugees moving into Europe, but we found it difficult to find unbiased information about the topic.
As a result, we applied for grant funding to travel to Europe to document the refugee crisis firsthand. We ended up producing a short documentary to share stories from the people we met, and followed up with a second research travel grant to study whether blockchain technology could address some challenges with refugees’ access to financial services. We also took internships with the State Department to host nonpartisan informational events on campus and contributed a book chapter about our experiences.
Today, the Syrian refugee crisis is not in the public spotlight, but I like to keep my eye on everything refugee related.
Short Documentary
This research grant funded travel to Italy, Greece, Germany, Sweden, and Washington DC over the course of 45 days to document the state of the Syrian refugee crisis and European immigration. We spoke with refugees, nonprofit volunteers, academics, and policymakers to document many aspects of refugee resettlement including its’ impact on culture, politics, and individuals’ lives.
Blockchain for Refugee Banking
This research grant funded travel to to Helsinki, Finland and Talinn, Estonia to study the emergence of a new collaboration between the Finnish government and financial company MONI, who provided online bank accounts and digital identity to refugees through blockchain technology. Refugees typically do not have access to financial services, yet in some European countries receive financial supplementation. We investigated whether decentralized blockchain ledgers could provide refugees with access to secure saving instruments. Recipient of Snider Family Award for Excellence in European Studies. (Link to grant proposal) ->
State Department Internship
This Virtual Student Foreign Service (VSFS) internship supported the creation of a No Lost Generation chapter at the University of Notre Dame. We held nonpartisan events regarding the status of refugee migration and policy in Europe and the United States to allow students to inform themselves on the topic. No Lost Generation (NLG) has chapters at over a dozen universities and we participated in the annual conference in Washington D.C. The origins of NLG are being compiled in a Book published by IGI international titled “Vital Lifelines: How College Students are Energizing Refugee Relief”, for which we have authored one chapter. (Link) ->
