When Miriam Barnes first came to the IRC, she was timid and shy, unsure of herself and nervous about communicating. Through strong encouragement from IRC staff and active participation in program activities, Miriam now walks into the IRC office with a new sense of confidence and pride, announcing her new career successes with a smile on her face.

Goldman Sachs’ employees learned about IRC in Salt Lake City women’s empowerment programming and held a month-long donation drive in honor of Women’s History Month to support newly resettled refugees in our community.

Maryam Zar, IRC volunteer, shares her experience teaching a group of resilient, diverse, and determined women as an IRC Citizenship Class instructor - and as an Iranian born American herself.

Growing up in Afghanistan, Fatima was taken out of school at a young age and never learned to write her name. After she and her family left their war-torn country to come to Turlock in 2018, she enrolled earlier this year in IRC's Afghan Path to Wellness course. Now, after finishing the course, Fatima can write her name and has obtained her learner's permit.