Community Navigator

Maria joined Refugee & Immigrant Transitions in January 2017. She was born in Guatemala and speaks Mam and Spanish. She works at Oakland Unified School District. Maria provides language translation and interpretation services to RIT’s Mam-speaking students and families in Oakland.

Education Programs Associate

Nazario Ambrocio joined RIT in 2024. He was born in Guatemala. He moved to the U.S. when he was 15 years old. He is fluent in English, Spanish, and Mam. Currently, he holds the position of Alumni Tutor, where he supports NEST teachers and students at Fremont High School (FHS) in Oakland. He graduated from FHS in 2022 and is currently attending Berkeley City College. His goal is to transfer to UC Irvine to study political science.

Academic Tutor

Samuel Bariaghabr joined RIT in September 2023. He is from Eritrea and his native language is Tigrinya. He speaks Tigrinya/Tigre and English. Samuel graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) in Abu Dhabi, UAE. During his undergraduate years, he worked for 3 years as a tutor and research assistant at HCT, building strong relationships with students and faculty.

Samuel also served in leadership roles as the school president and school secretary during his time at HCT. His experiences have given him a deep understanding of education and community engagement. Samuel is passionate about education and is currently pursuing further studies and experiences at RIT in pursuit of his career goals.

Education Programs Associate

Fatima Calderon is an Alumni Tutor with Refugee & Immigrant Transitions (RIT). She provides support for Newcomer Educational Support & Transition (NEST) students in RIT’s After-school Program. Fatima is a proud graduate of Fremont High School and an alumni RIT Youth Leader and is happy to be back on campus to support newly arrived students academically, socially, and emotionally. She was born in El Salvador and came to the United States when she was 15 years old. Fatima is bilingual in Spanish and English. She also works at Oakland Public Library. In her spare time, Fatima likes to spend time with her family and be in nature.

Education Programs Associate

Narcy Carrillo Calmo is an Alumni Tutor with Refugee & Immigrant Transitions (RIT). During the day, Narcy provides in-classroom support for NEST teachers and students and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, she supports RIT’s after-school program for Newcomer Educational Support & Transition (NEST) program. Narcy is trilingual in  Mam, Spanish, and English. She was born in Todos Santos CuchumatanHueHuetenango and came to the United States in 2016. Narcy is a proud graduate of Fremont High School and an alumni RIT Youth Leader and is happy to be back on campus to support newly arrived students academically, socially, and emotionally.  Narcy is also a student at Merritt College and she hopes to transfer to UC Berkeley to pursue her career as a Nurse. In her spare time, Narcy likes to go to the gym and watch the news.

Caretaker

Maria joined Refugee & Immigrant Transitions in November of 2018. She was born in Michoacan, Mexico and speaks Spanish and English. At the age of 7, Maria moved to Oakland, CA. She attended Fremont high school. Maria is very active in her community.

English Language and Literacy Instructor

Nazia joined Refugee & Immigrant Transitions in November 2018 as an English Language and Literacy Instructor. She was born in Afghanistan and speaks Pashto, Dari/Farsi, Urdu, and English. She holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from American University of Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, she worked on many U.S. projects in different fields, including Finance, Human Resources and Administration.

Education Program Coordinator

Valerie García, daughter of Mexican immigrants, joined RIT in August of 2024 and is super excited to be part of the team! Val speaks English and Spanish. Valerie graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from UC Santa Cruz and is currently working on completing the Master in Migration Studies degree from USF. Val supports students and staff at San Francisco International High School and Valley Visitation Middle School. Valerie has a deep love for community and community advocacy.

Education Programs Coordinator

Amanda Geldert joined Refugee & Immigrant Transitions in June 2017 as a college intern and is back full time as of June 2018. She was born in San Jose California and speaks Spanish and English. As an intern she spent six months immersed in all things RIT across the 3 offices. She later returned to UCSC to complete her B.A in Community Studies & Spanish Studies (linguistics concentration).

Instructor and Volunteer Coordinator

Petrina Grube joined RIT in September 2021. She speaks English and Spanish. She teaches Level 1-3 English language instruction for Good Samaritan Family Resource Center in the Mission in San Francisco.

Development & Database Manager

Julia Glosemeyer joined Refugee & Immigrant Transitions in 2014 as the agency's Development and Impact Coordinator. As the Development & Database Manager, she prepares grant proposals and reports for various funders including government agencies, foundations, and corporations. Julia is also the system administrator for the agency’s Salesforce database. She configures the database, builds data entry and impact tracking systems for programs, makes changes to improve the systems’ efficiency, and provides ongoing technical support to program staff and volunteers.

Associate Community Engagement Manager

Jyoti is a former Nepali-speaking Bhutanese refugee from Nepal. Jyoti was born in Bhutan and was forcibly displaced from her homeland with her family and thousands of other Nepali-speaking Bhutanese. She joined the team in 2016 and is currently working as an Associate Community Engagement Manager at Refugee & Immigrant Transitions (RIT). Previously Jyoti was an RIT student, peer tutor, youth leader, mentor, and intern. 

Childcare and Education Intern

Fathiya joined Refugee & Immigrant Transitions in October 2018. She was born in Yemen, and speaks Arabic and English. She came to United States in 2004 with her family. Fathiya went to middle school in Oakland CA, and attended Oakland Technical High School. She joined RIT because she likes to work with little kids, and has experience as a babysitter. She especially likes to work with refugee and immigrant kids, so they can be part of the community.

Adult Vocational English Language & Literacy Instructor

Jackie joined Refugee & Immigrant Transitions in the Fall of 2020, as an Adult Vocational English Language & Literacy Instructor at the Oakland location.

Associate Program Manager

Grace Lau, an immigrant from Hong Kong, began working with Refugee & Immigrant Transitions as a Program Coordinator in September 2008. She works primarily with the Asian Pacific Islander community in San Francisco and to this end, contributes her intimate knowledge of China, its culture, and the challenges immigrants face resettling in the U.S. Grace supports families enrolled in RIT’s home-based tutoring and mentoring programs, and supports our school-based program at San Francisco International High School.

Case Worker 

Iman joined Refugee & Immigrant Transitions in August 2023 as a Case Worker providing educational case management and linkages to resources and services. She was born in Afghanistan and speaks Pashto, Dari/Farsi, English, Urdu, and Hindi. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Kardan University of Afghanistan. Iman also holds a Diploma from the International School of Leadership called IAM-International Assistance Mission Leadership School. She has extensive years of working experience with international organizations in Afghanistan, including the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), The Asia Foundation (TAF), and the US Embassy.

Senior Family Resource Coordinator

Zar Ni Maung began at Refugee & Immigrant Transitions in March 2008 as the agency's Family Advocate. Zar Ni focuses primarily on supporting volunteers and newly arrived refugee families from Burma, linking them to services and providing tutoring for youth. Zar Ni grew up in Rangoon, the former capital of Burma. As a university student, he was active in the student democracy movement.

Wellness and Early Childhood Educator

Masuma Mohammadi joined RIT in May 2018. She is from Afghanistan, Bamyan province, and her native language is Dari. She speaks Dari/Farsi and English. After graduating from high school, she got a diploma from Baran Institute of Health Science in Kabul, Afghanistan. She worked for 5 years as a teacher and deputy school principal at Farhang Private elementary school and she built strong relationships with students and their families, teachers and school personnel by creating activities such as student council, weekly meeting with parents and teachers, art and sport matches for students.

Caseworker

Sergii Pashyn joined RIT in March 2023 as a caseworker. His main duty is to provide case management services to Ukrainians coming to the Bay Area through the Uniting for Ukraine Program (U4U) and other Ukrainian and Russian-speaking refugees and asylees.

Co-Executive Director (Co-ED)

Jane Pak is Co-Executive Director at Refugee and Immigrant Transitions and Adjunct Professor in the Master in Migration Studies program at the University of San Francisco (USF). Her scholarship and praxis are informed by Critical Refugee Studies; liberatory education; and transnational solidarity. Jane is most energized when engaging with diverse communities and knowledges in collective contexts. Her background is in strategy, development, and research in education and refugee contexts. She has worked in community, nonprofit, government, and business sectors. Jane's work for justice is motivated by a multi-generational family history of forced migration, resistance, and service.

Co-Executive Director (Co-ED)

Laura Vaudreuil has been honored to serve as Executive Director at Refugee & Immigrant Transitions since 2003 and to be part of the organization since 2001. Laura values collaborative models and shared leadership and was delighted to transition to the role of Co-Executive Director with Jane Pak in 2021. With a passion for human rights and education, Laura provides leadership for Refugee & Immigrant Transitions, partnering with an amazing team to welcome and partner with people who’ve sought refuge, expand services responsive to their needs/requests, and center the collective well-being of the RIT community.

Adult English Language and Literacy Instructor

Malalai Wiar joined Refugee & Immigrant Transitions in 2022, with a passion for human rights and wellbeing. Malalai is from Kabul, Afghanistan, and she speaks various languages including Farsi, Dari, Pashto, Hindi, English, and Urdu. After years of being a housewife, Malalai decided to achieve her goals by continuing her education after 16 years and now she holds a degree in psychology to understand human behavior and mental processes that allows her to better understand how we think, act and feel.

Associate Education Program Director

Sonia joined Refugee & Immigrant Transitions in July 2014 as the South Bay Education Coordinator. In our South Bay location, she recruits and trains volunteers for home-based tutoring and provides them with ongoing support. She manages English language classes for adults in San Jose and works on curriculum development with RIT’s San Francisco Education Associate Manager. She also helps oversee the Department of Education Adult English Language and Family Literacy (AEFLA) Grant with the Executive Director.

RIT Educational Fellow

Haibin joined RIT as in 2024. He was born in Guangdong, China and raised in Mexico. He moved to the US back in 2016 at the age of 16, and had the opportunity to finish his secondary education at San Francisco International High School (SFI) — go Huskies!  SFI and RIT played a very important role in his academic and personal development, so he always had the desire to come back and give back to the community that helped him so much. He just graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Computer Science and was offered the amazing opportunity to join the RIT team as an intern to help and work with students at SFI and Visitacion Valley Middle School.

English Language Instructor and Curriculum Designer

Dion joined Refugee & Immigrant Transitions in 2014. She has M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from San Francisco State University with a focus on literacy development. She has taught literacy level through intermediate English classes in our community-based programs, and she currently teaches the Women’s Initiative classes at our Oakland Hub and online. She enjoys developing curriculum and assessments for our programs and facilitating teacher collaboration.