Restoring Dignity to Our Newest Refugee Neighbors

This is the second in our series featuring nonprofit leaders who offer an informed perspective on the current refugee crisis, immigration and refugee resettlement, voter education, and the effect of the pandemic on the lives of black women survivors of domestic abuse.

Kristen Bloom is the founder and Executive Director of Refugee Assistance Alliance. As someone who never intended to start her own nonprofit, Kristen shares how being a military spouse prepared her to serve the refugee population in our country.

Like many nonprofit founders, Kristen recognized the need for new refugees—people who have been invited by the U.S. government to seek refuge in our country—to learn English, and since she had experience teaching ESL, she volunteered to fill the gap. It on her first visit she realized the “gap” she thought she was needed to fill was more like a massive chasm.

Throwing her plans out the window, Kristen created a new organization to address the immediate needs of refugee families: social, emotional, and physical.

Kristen Bloom is an incredible human being. In this episode, she shares openly and honestly about her journey into nonprofit leadership and what she’s done to manage imposter syndrome. Because we all know, the struggle is real.

📌 Check out our Pinterest board on Refugees and Asylees

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About Kristen Bloom

Kristen was born naturally curious and is always interested in meeting and learning about new people. She pursued an education in international studies and global education. After serving in South America as a Peace Corps volunteer, Kristen lived in Japan or four years where she taught English to Asian children and finished her master’s degree.

She returned to the U.S. and settled in Mississippi where she taught English as a Second Language to students from around the world at Mississippi State University. She later worked in MSU’s Office of Study Abroad developing international study programs for university professors and students.

As the spouse of a career military officer, she has moved many times and learned to understand and appreciate the cultural nuances associated with working with people from different parts of the country and world. She holds a B.A. in International Studies and Spanish/Latin American Studies from American University and an M.S. in Global and International Education from Drexel University.