Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Senegal, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire—these are just a few of the African nations Katie Gerber has traveled to over the past year in her work with refugees. Katie works for a Resettlement Support Center (RSC) in Nairobi, Kenya, to prepare refugees and their families for adjudication by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for resettlement to the United States.

Resettlement is a vital tool for providing international protection to vulnerable, persecuted people, and the United States is the largest resettlement country in the world, receiving more than half of all refugees resettled worldwide. Katie works as a Field Team Leader, directing RSC missions throughout Africa to help resolve the plight of refugees on behalf of the American government.

Katie and RSC teams travel to remote and urban areas to reach refugees of various ethnic, cultural, religious, political and social backgrounds. Applicants for resettlement to the United States include—among many others—unaccompanied minors, families, victims of violence and torture, individuals with serious medical conditions, and individuals with high profile security risks. RSC teams work closely with international aid organizations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration to accomplish their work.

Katie graduated from FSU in the fall of 2008, receiving a Master of Social Work and a Master of Public Administration. While attending Florida State, her work in both fields focused on the “quality of mercy” of the U.S. refugee policy.