Staff Spotlight | Fathel Alrasho
Fathel Alrasho is a caseworker with CRIS’ Match Grant Program.
“In some ways, working at CRIS is a full-circle experience for my life. I came to the U.S. as a refugee myself in 2016. Two of the people who helped me most in my first months here were Cat Gossman [current CRIS Health & Wellness Program manager] and Brian Zimmerman [former CRIS Match Grant Program manager] and now I am honored to call them colleagues.
A native of Iraq, I was forced to flee my homeland for two major reasons. The first was my military experience. I worked with the U.S. military in Iraq for five years. While I kept my work extremely private, members of Al Qaida became aware of my military involvement, thus endangering my life. The second reason is that I was born into the Kurdish religious minority group known as Yazidi. My hometown of Sinjar was attacked and destroyed by ISIS in 2014, including the killing and kidnapping of thousands of my people. Those who were able to escape–including my five sisters and three brothers, my parents and me–fled to the nearby Sinjar Mountains. From there we were able to make it to Kurdistan with the help of some good people, where we began living in a displacement camp. In 2016, I got the required documents to move to the U.S. My parents, my two little sisters, and my three brothers went to Germany. Three of my sisters and nephews are still living in Kurdistan.
In my first weeks in the U.S., I attended English classes at CRIS as a requirement for receiving benefits even though I already had a strong foundation in the English language. On my 28th day in Columbus, I tried to take a bus after English class back to where I was staying at the time. I got lost and ended up walking in the July heat for three hours. I finally arrived at a Tim Horton’s that I knew was near my apartment, desperate for a cold drink and a job. I asked if they were hiring, and they told me I could start working there the next day. I was earning $7 per hour but I was just so thankful to have a job. Through that experience, I made connections with police officers and nightshift security guards who later helped me secure a security job at Nationwide Insurance.
I very much enjoyed working at Nationwide. Over time I found myself remembering my lifelong dream of teaching English in Iraq–of helping others in this way. In search of more fulfilling work like this dream, I found myself applying to become a part of the CRIS staff. I was hired as a Match Grant caseworker under the leadership of one of my former caseworkers Brian.
Working for CRIS now and helping others in a situation similar to what I experienced a few years ago gives me joy, peace, and purpose. One specific thing I enjoy about my work at CRIS is my fellow staff members; I see them as a family. We share a culture of kindness and willingness to help each other in any way we can. I feel all CRIS staff members share similar stories in one way or another, both those who were born here and the ones who came from other countries.”