Volunteer of the Week - Ilse Pollet

Name: Ilse Pollet
Neighborhood: South Bay
Job: Part-time foreign language instructor (French, Italian, Dutch) + stay at home mom
RT programs/events you’ve participated in: Home-based tutoring

What are your hobbies? Cooking, reading, bike riding.
If you could have dinner with anyone, past or present, who would that person be? Eddie Vedder (lead singer of Pearl Jam), I am a big fan and admire his career and his ability to stay true to his values even when he became a superstar. He also does a lot of activism.
What is your favorite book? Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
If you could travel anywhere, where would you go, and what would you do? I would love to one day follow the Camino de Santiago de Compostela (Spain) by bike, or ride my bike across the USA.
If you could instantly learn how to do anything, what would that be? Speak Spanish and Karen
Who has been the most influential teacher in your life so far? My high school English and Latin teacher for instilling a love of languages, culture, art and history.
What has been your favorite/most rewarding moment as a volunteer with RT? My student is expecting her first child and we've been having a lot of fun preparing for labor, delivery and taking care of a baby. Imagine us doing yoga poses and breathing exercises and changing diapers on a baby doll!

Volunteer of the Week - Amy Nesbitt

Amy is a part of a small group of volunteers that dedicated their time to our home-based tutoring program.  She started working with a high school student from Burma, until she moved away.  Amy continued on as a volunteer with an adult from Bhutan, but their time together was once again shortened by another move.  Amy persisted and she was finally matched with an young mother of two from Iraq.  Amy and her friends are now awaiting a new journey of possibly helping an entire refugee family with the resettlement process and beyond.  Amy has shown great enthusiam, patience and flexibility. Here's a little more about Amy!

Name: Amy Nesbitt
Neighborhood: South Bay- Santa Clara
Job: Internal Audit 
RT programs/events you’ve participated in: Home-based tutoring

What are your hobbies? I love cooking/eating, tennis, golf, and most other sports. Thankfully my husband shares most of those enjoyable experiences with me!
If you could have dinner with anyone, past or present, who would that person be?  Jesus Christ for the person from all time and Audrey Hepburn for someone more recent. The reason for picking Jesus may be more obvious since I am a Christian, but I would also love to have dinner with Audrey Hepburn. I am inspired by her life and want to hear firsthand about her struggles through childhood, the persistence to pursue her dreams in acting, as well as all the people she met and loved during her work with UNICEF.
What is your favorite book? I can't think of one favorite book, but I enjoy reading biographies/autobiographies, and books about successful businesses. I also buy cookbooks from almost every country I visit, so I'm developing quite a collection!
If you could travel anywhere, where would you go, and what would you do? Right now, I would love to go on an eastern Mediterranean cruise that stops at least in Egypt and Israel. I have a goal to visit all the continents (except Antarctica) before I turn 30, and Africa is the last continent I haven't visited, so visiting Egypt would help me meet that goal. I am excited to marvel at the ancient pyramids, as well as dive into all the history in Egypt. In Israel, I look forward to walking in Jesus' footsteps and making stories come alive. Aside from that, I would love to take a safari in Kenya or Tanzania someday!
If you could instantly learn how to do anything, what would that be?  I would like to learn to be completely free. That may sound odd since I was born and raised in the US, but I want to be free of selfishness and human expectations. I want to be free from worrying about material desires for myself, status in our culture, what others think about me, where I should be in life, etc. I want to be free to love people as they are, and to give cheerfully and freely of my time and resources.
Who has been the most influential teacher in your life so far? My parents have been the most influential teachers in my life. They were the first to teach me unconditional love, the importance of family, relationships with people, and giving freely. I was born in California, but they made sure that I was still in touch with my Japanese culture/heritage, spoke the language. I can only hope that I am showing other people the kind of love they showed me and passing on the great lessons they taught me!
What has been your favorite/most rewarding moment as a volunteer with RT? It has been eye opening when each of my three students opened up to me about their journey to the US. I was touched that they trusted me with their stories, amazed at what they've been through, and how much joy they have in their lives despite their hardships. Spending time with them gave me a glimpse into three cultures that were new to me and the experiences that made them who they are today.

Volunteer of the Week - Michelle-Linh Nguyen

Meet Michelle-Linh Nguyen, our volunteer of the week! Michelle has been a volunteer with Refugee Transitions since July 2010 - making this her one year mark!

As you can probably tell from the photo of her and her student, Htoo, Michelle is an incredibly enthusiastic volunteer and is a great friend as well as mentor for Htoo.

Michelle has gone out of her way to make lessons more exciting and has helped Htoo navigate her community (going to doctors appointments, signing up for community college classes, etc). And next week, the two will be making a trip out to Monterey to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium together.

Thanks so much Michelle for your amazing dedication and positive influence. Read below for our interview with Michelle!

Name: Michelle-Linh Nguyen
Neighborhood: South Bay! I live in Redwood City and tutor in Sunnyvale.
Job: Clinical Research Coordinator and Research Assistant at UCSF
RT programs/events you’ve participated in: I volunteer through the Home-Based Tutoring for Adults program, and I hope to make it to a South Bay happy hour sometime soon!

What are your hobbies? I enjoy creative writing, reading, traveling, exploring, swimming and organizing social gatherings.
If you could have dinner with anyone, past or present, who would that person be? I recently read a fantastic book written by Paul de Kruif in the late 1940s called Life Among the Doctors. Not only did I love his writing style (quirky and personal), I connected with his attitude towards medicine, science and caring for others. I'd love to be able to pick his brain.
What is your favorite book? I have so many; I'll list a few: Isabel Allende's work, Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, Half the Sky by Kristoff and WuDunn, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. The list goes on.
If you could travel anywhere, where would you go, and what would you do? I would make sure to travel to each continent, living/volunteering/participating in my destinations for at least a month before moving on. I've found that it is hard to really "know" a place before living there for a substantial period of time. I also would really like to visit Mae La camp in Thailand, where my student was born and grew up. I hope to do this with her in a few years when she earns her citizenship.
If you could instantly learn how to do anything, what would that be? To understand and speak all the languages of the world.
Who has been the most influential teacher in your life so far? My parents. They arrived in the U.S. as refugees from Vietnam in 1975. Through help from others, hard work, lots of foresight, and positive attitudes they have achieved their goals and given me so much privilege. They have also instilled in me a love and respect for humankind. They will always be my ultimate role models.
What has been your favorite/most rewarding moment as a volunteer with RT? I have really enjoyed helping and watching my student gain confidence and blossom into a woman who knows what her goals are and the steps to take to achieve them. Specifically, one of my proudest moments has been watching and listening to her present a PowerPoint she made about the Karen Wrist-Tying Ceremony. It combined so many skills we've been working on (public speaking, confidence, pronunciation, using technology, etc.), and she has been doing great! 

Volunteer of the Week - Jessica Chen

Jessica started as a volunteer with Refugee Transitions last summer and was eager to get started. She had been working with Htang, a Burmese youth student new to the U.S. Htang originally resettled in the Bay Area, but has since moved to Texas with her family. While working together, Jessica provided the crucial mentoring that Htang needed to become more confident in school and in her community. We are so grateful for Jessica's hard work and positive influence, and so proud of Htang's accomplishments in such a short time! Read on to learn more about Jessica and Htang!

Name: Jessica Chen
Neighborhood: South Bay (I live in Palo Alto, but worked with Htang in Santa Clara)
Job: Corporate Development at eBay
RT programs/events you’ve participated in: Home-based tutoring

What are your hobbies? I love watching Broadway shows, and take every chance I get to make it up to San Francisco or visit friends in NYC to catch a show.  I also enjoy traveling to different parts of the world, exploring new languages, foods, and cultures.
If you could have dinner with anyone, past or present, who would that person be? Sandra Day O'Connor.  I have long been an admirer of Justice O'Connor and her achievements leading up to and including her tenure on the Supreme Court.  As a woman in a traditionally male-dominated work environment, I definitely look up to her and hope to emulate her success.
What is your favorite book? One of my favorite books is Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card.  The sequel to Card's famous Ender's Game, this novel was intricate and character-driven, examining a lot of unanswered, often difficult, questions from the first book as well as exploring some very fundamental aspects of human nature.
If you could travel anywhere, where would you go, and what would you do? The past... I'd really love to see a key event... the invention of fire or the Trojan War or anything really.  It would be amazing to see what actually happened, not just learn about it in school.
If you could instantly learn how to do anything, what would that be? I would learn how to sing, dance and act -- everything I love about Broadway musicals.
Who has been the most influential teacher in your life so far? My mother.  An immigrant to this country in the 1970s, my mother overcame cultural barriers through perseverance and hard work, succeeding in a professional business environment and ensuring my brother and I had all the opportunities for our own success.  She is my role model and I am the result of my mother's support and guidance.
What has been your favorite/most rewarding moment as a volunteer with RT? Attending an award ceremony at Htang's middle school a few weeks ago.  Htang received honors in both Math and ESL, not to mention a President’s Award for Educational Achievement.  It was a culmination of all the hard work we put in over the course of this past year, as well as a testament to Htang's dedication to doing well in school and adjusting to a new country.

Volunteer of the Week - Karen Ish

Karen Ish came to Refugee Transitions in December 2009, as a home-based tutor. She was eager to volunteer with a youth student and was soon matched with Keshab, an 11 year-old Bhutanese boy who lives in the South Bay. Keshab needed a caring and patient volunteer to help him adjust with his new environment and understand his homework. Karen has been working with Keshab since February 2010 and has been an extraordinary volunteer and mentor for Keshab and his family. Thank you so much, Karen, for being such a wonderful volunteer!

Name: Karen Ish
Neighborhood: San Jose/Santa Clara
Job: Accountant
RT programs/events you’ve participated in: Home-based tutoring, and a coffee evening before I started volunteering! 

What are your hobbies?  Remodeling, decorating, hiking, being outdoors, reading.
If you could have dinner with anyone, past or present, who would that person be? My grandparents - there are so many things I would ask them now as an adult that I wouldn't have thought to ask them when I was younger.
What is your favorite book? I love the Harry Potter series - the books remind me of books my mom would read to me when I was a kid.
If you could travel anywhere, where would you go, and what would you do? I love traveling and have been lucky enough to travel to many countries around the world, but usually just for a few weeks. I would love to spend 6 months or a year in a country and really learn about the culture and participate in that country’s day-to-day activities.
Who has been the most influential teacher in your life so far?  My parents - education was always really important to our family (I come from family full of teachers) so of course studying and getting good grades was on the top of the list. But they also felt that learning by experience was important, whether it was through traveling and seeing new places, or just making it OK to make mistakes and learn by trial and error.
What has been your favorite/most rewarding moment as a volunteer with RT? I'd have to say it's been to see Keshab get more and more excited about learning. It took us several months to find the right type of learning materials that he was interested in, and then also trying to find interesting ways to teach him. But once we found the right materials he's been very excited about learning.