Real stories. Real people. Real change.
Alumni Stories
Grace Sumahili
"I participated in the Step Up Program during the spring semester of 2025, which was an eye-opening experience for me. Through this program, I was able to learn what it means to be a refugee in the USA. I was placed at the E7 Kids Café, where I mentored elementary and middle school students originally from different parts of Africa.
As someone who came to the U.S. at a young age, I was able to put myself in the kids’ shoes and understand the challenges of adjusting to a new environment. I will be forever grateful for this opportunity because it allowed me to serve others while also learning and gaining new perspectives. The program made very comfortable working with children at first I was very stressed I wasn’t sure if would be able to make it but then the student embrace me with an open heart. Second, it strengthened my leadership and communication skills. Supporting these children helped me develop stronger problem-solving abilities as well. Every day brought different challenges, and I learned to think creatively, stay calm under pressure, and respond with compassion. Those qualities shape me as a future business owner and designer who wants to lead with integrity."
Farah Salama
Arsh Ansari
"I participated in the Step-Up Fellowship during the Fall 2023, Spring 2024, and Spring 2025 semesters. During that time, I had the pleasure of working within the ESL and ELL Departments at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, where I served as a teaching aide. I helped navigate the classroom environment, led my own small group of students, and assisted teachers with lesson planning and student support. I was also able to work at Box2Box, a rare youth program focused on one-on-one education, community building, and identity formation.
I decided to apply to the Step-Up Fellowship because it aligned perfectly with my passion for service and my personal experience. As a Pakistani-American who faced challenges navigating cultural barriers in their youth, this program felt like a calling I couldn’t ignore. This felt like a chance to create the kind of impact that once changed my own life.
I am now an M1 at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, and while my daily environment has shifted from the classroom to the clinic, I still rely on the same empathy, communication skills, and patience I cultivated as a Step-Up Fellow. The program taught me that mentorship and education are inseparable from healing and that’s a lesson I carry into every patient interaction.
Step-Up remains one of the most defining and transformative experiences of my undergraduate career. It not only shaped my professional identity but also reinforced my commitment to continue working in student education and community engagement throughout my career as a physician."
Camila Pimentel
"My name is Camila, I'm from Brazil, and I graduated from UK with my Political Science degree and International Studies & Peace Studies Certificate in 2025. I participated during my last semester (Spring 2025), doing an internship at KRM. I interned for the Victim Advocacy team. I decided to apply because I wanted to learn more about immigration and refugee issues. I see a lot of value on working for organizations such as the KRM, and I appreciate the great opportunity to serve the community. This experience gave me a very good insight into immigration and refugee issues, understanding these challenges not as abstracts but as something real, affecting people on the ground. It made me consider a career in international relations that concentrates in this topic. It also gave me an opportunity to practice my Spanish speaking skills, as I had to call Spanish speaking clients as part of my internship duties. Right now, I am in Bologna, Italy, doing a master's in international relations at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced Studies (SAIS). This two years program allows me to do my first year in Bologna, and second year in Washington DC, to have a broader international perspective and experience."
Reagan Sutton
"I participated in the Step-Up Program my junior and senior years (2023-2025) and led the Step-Up Club as President during my senior year. I decided to apply because I had interned and volunteered with Kentucky Refugee Ministries since early high school and had grown a true passion for helping immigrants and refugees in KY. Creating Step-Up Club was especially impactful as I was able to connect UK students outside of the program with information and resources about the current immigration/political climate. It was truly empowering and allowed me to build community in a way I never had before. I am currently a 1L at the University of Maryland Carey Law in Baltimore, and I will begin studying Immigration Law next semester. All of my work with Dr. Musoni and Step-Up at UK prepared me for this work, so I greatly credit my legal academic achievements to the organization."
Mohamed Ratbi
"I am currently a graduate student at the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at UK. I’m focusing on Security Intelligence and Diplomacy. I am passionate about work that supports and assists my community. I was involved with the Step-Up Program during the Fall semester of 2023 as a volunteer at the Box-to-Box organization. My role was to support immigrant and refugee students with their homework, help them prepare for exams, and encourage them throughout their academic journey. I also offered guidance and motivation to help them build confidence in their abilities to succeed in school and in life.
The Step-Up Program had a significant impact on my academic, personal, and professional journey. It reminded me of the importance of education and the value of helping others in need. The opportunity to volunteer at Box-to-Box was priceless because I was able to hear and learn from immigrant and refugee students’ life stories, understand the challenges they faced in their home countries, and see how determined they were to continue their academic journey regardless of their past. As an immigrant myself, their resilience and determination inspired me deeply. Volunteering made me feel that I was contributing to something meaningful. I was helping students who simply wanted to learn English, continue their education, and build a better future for themselves and their families. I connected with many of them because I once shared a similar experience coming to the United States at a young age, learning a new language, and working hard to continue my education in order to support myself and my family back home.
My advice to current Step-Up Fellows is to continue supporting immigrant and refugee students and to never give up on your own dreams. Be patient, kind, and appreciative of the opportunities you have. Sometimes the things we consider normal in our lives are a luxury for someone else. Lastly, Step-Up Fellows always remember that true happiness comes from making a positive impact on someone else’s life."
Nafisa Nigmatova
I became a Step-Up fellow because it aligned with my values and my interest in working with diverse communities of Lexington. I wanted to learn from the people and organizations doing this work every day.
Some of my favorite memories from the fellowship are accompanying caseworkers during client meetings, home visits, and cultural orientation meetings because solving their problems, answering their questions, and listing the available resources and services showed how big of an impact these organizations had on their daily lives. Additionally, I made lots of lifelong friends through this program who are very supportive and passionate.
The experience helped me grow in so many ways. I learned how to work across language barriers, understood the nonprofit systems, comprehended the refugee resettlement process, learned the impact national policies have on their well-being, and more. It showed that meaningful change begins at the local level.
Today, I am serving as a Fulbright scholar in Adana, Turkey, where I teach English at a university and serve as a cultural ambassador. Many of the skills I use were built through my Step-Up experience and it played a big role in my commitment to public service. If you’re interested in the opportunity, apply without a second thought!"