We’re in back-to-school mode at Claremont Canopy. All six of us have kids in the local schools, as do most of our families. We’ve been making sure everyone is geared up and ready this Fall. We’re thrilled to be working with Claremont McKenna College’s Center for Writing and Public Discourse (CWPD) on an initiative to help Middle Eastern refugees with language skills and more. Student volunteers will assist families learning English. They will also tutor kids with school work and instruct adults on completing job applications and resumés. We are also partnering with a Claremont High School student who plans on developing a tutoring program for Canopy children as his Eagle Scout project. He is planning on collecting a group of volunteers who will visit our families homes and also help with homework and practicing English. We are so grateful for the Claremont community and their support of our mission.
We’re lucky to have two fantastic interns join the Canopy team. Lea Kayali is a senior at Pomona College studying Public Policy Analysis and Anthropology. She’s interested in the intersection between American civil rights advocacy and Middle Eastern communities, an issue close to her heart as a Palestinian American. She interned with various community organizations and policy think tanks before landing at Canopy. She already has brought fantastic insights and organizational skills to all our projects.
Lea Kayali
Eli Tanenbaum studied Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies at Pomona College before graduating this spring. He learned colloquial Arabic during a junior year abroad in Jordan, living with an older couple whose extended family lived nearby. He has been extremely generous helping Canopy and our families with language translation. Eli is currently enrolled in the Scripps Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Program and plans to attend medical school.
Eli Tanenbaum
We’re looking forward to a school year filled with projects and events to help all of our families become better settled in their new communities!
