On Tuesday, January 25th and Monday, January 31st, twenty freshmen and sophomore students in OC's Global Competence Initiative met after school to discuss the book Other Words for Home, the story of a young Syrian refugee forced to resettle in America at the start of the Syrian Civil War. 

As part of these discussions, students had a Zoom meeting with Eric Ngnimmien, a family services assistant and interpreter at Pittsburgh's Hello Neighbor. Students gained a better understanding of the immigrant experience in America, knowledge of the refugee communities living in Pittsburgh and the organizations working to assist them, and multiple opportunities for teens to help the city's refugee communities.