New Staff Profile: Miriam

Miriam’s varied life experiences have come together in a unique way to equip her for her new role as a Refugee Employment Counselor with MCC Refugee Services. Miriam was raised in a Mennonite family who valued hospitality and making room for outsiders, and that has deeply shaped her interests and values.

As a student at Macalester College, Miriam studied psychology with a focus on culture, identity, social justice, and access. She’s also a multi-disciplinary artist who enjoys singing, songwriting, pottery, and line drawing. Following her degree at Macalester, Miriam worked in the non-profit community arts world in several roles—as a teaching artist and in outreach helping artists from marginalized populations find a foothold in the arts world.

When Miriam saw the opportunity to work with refugees through employment coaching, she saw the opportunity to bring together her past experiences in helping people find their voice and place in the community in a new way. In her position, she is working with individuals in both of our employment programs as they seek employment and economic self-sufficiency in Minnesota. As a newcomer to the world of resettlement, she’s keeping busy learning many new acronyms and is enjoying meeting the wide variety of families participating in our programs.

A fun fact about Miriam: this summer she began raising backyard quail at home and is now taking care of a flock of 14 quail!