Advocating with Urgency

Chelsea Mwan’Zuzi is a member of the Black Achievement, Success and Engagement (BASE) community. She's in their Black Scholars Program which is designed for students who are committed to serving the needs of underserved communities.

She immigrated to the US and the experience inspired her to become an advocate for the immigrant community.

How has USF helped you become an advocate?

I have a year-long internship with Pangea Legal Services, an NGO that specializes in deportation defense and asylum. As a legal intern, I have had the opportunity to work alongside our team of attorneys and clients in areas pertaining to country conditions research, declaration read-backs, French translations/interpretations, and lastly immigration document fillings. As an immigrant who went through the green card, residency, and naturalization process I understood the amount of support that immigrants need in order to achieve their goal of remaining in the United States. Now more than ever, there is an urgency to advocate for the immigrant community. Pangea has not only given me the tools to support the community through legal action but also engage and form a connection with those I’m serving.

What do you like to do outside your studies?

I like to work at my local grammar school and engage with the youth; in addition to assisting my DreamSF cohort with activist campaigns for the immigrant community.

After graduation what's next?

After my time at USF, I’m striving to get a law degree and work in the field of human rights law.