Trinity Experience Encourages Alumna’s Interest in Immigration

The cornerstone of Erie Neighborhood House in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood reads: “To the glory of God and the service of his children.” Emily Hunter ’11, a sociology major while at Trinity, spent her last semester navigating the narrow hallways of the building that houses an organization that has served the immigrant populations of Chicago for over 100 years.

Hunter’s role during her Chicago Semester internship with the organization focused on immigration services, helping people with such tasks as applying for citizenship.

Working in the citizenship program also gave the Spanish minor an opportunity to hone her foreign language skills as she interacted with clients and facilitated some computer classes for women in the community and English-as-a-Second-Language classes for students.

Hunter’s interest in the area of immigration developed when she was a college freshman. “Many of my friends at Trinity were international students on student visas,” she said. “These relationships piqued my interest in people emigrating from other countries and the challenges they face.”

She continued to nurture her interests through her participation in Trinity’s student organizations, including the Social Justice Chapter, Service Committee, and Acting on Aids. Hunter also took advantage of one of the College’s other study abroad options, Semester in Spain, which immersed her in Spanish culture for an entire semester of experiential learning in Seville.        

Chicago Semester expanded Hunter’s understanding of culture and immigration as it relates to life in the United States and specifically to the city of Chicago.

These experiences will aid Hunter as she travels to Spain this fall to work for the Ministry of Education as a cultural ambassador in the province of Extremadura. There she will serve as a stand-in representative of North American culture, educating students about the United States and assisting in the teaching of English at El Instituto de Educacion Secundaria Llerena, in Llerena, Badajoz.