Spotlight March 2025

IIB would not be able to make WNY a better place for, and because of, immigrants and refugees were it not for our team, the community, and those we serve.

Volunteers from the UB Community Laboratory

Thanks to volunteers from the UB Community Laboratory, a student group focused on connecting institutionally neglected communities in Buffalo with UB students and resources. We appreciate that they helped organize donations in our onsite warehouse.

Click here if you want to lend your time and talent to IIB.

Htaboe Rar - Karenni interpreter

Htaboe Rar was born and raised in a Karenni Refugee Camp, where her family sought safety after being displaced by the Burmese military's destruction of their village. The immediate challenge was the lack of basic resources like clean water, healthcare, and sufficient food. They lived in overcrowded conditions; the infrastructure was inadequate for so many displaced people. Educational opportunities were limited, and access to quality schooling was scarce, leaving many without the chance to develop skills for a better future.

Her family resettled in the USA but faced the challenge of adapting to a new culture and system without knowing English. Having personally experienced the struggles of navigating a foreign system without knowing the language, I wanted to give back to my community.

As she settled in the U.S. and completed her education, she was compelled to help others in the Karenni community overcome language barriers. This was her motivation to become an interpreter.

Htaboe has been in the USA for 16 years and enjoys playing volleyball and reading in her spare time.

If you would like to be a translator or interpreter to help many of our clients with language access, please click here.

Dr. Kristin Stapleton

Dr. Kristin Stapleton is the keynote speaker at the Model United Nations, being held this month at the University at Buffalo.

Professor and chair of the History Department, her interest in public policy and governance began in high school in Michigan, where she served as secretary of the student council and took an active role in the model UN association.

Back then – around 1980 – key issues included apartheid in South Africa and genocide in Cambodia. Her Model UN experience and high school classes made her decide to take Chinese language courses in college, and fortunately the University of Michigan featured an excellent Chinese studies program. Her first ever trip to New York City was with the University of Michigan Model UN Club, which visited the very impressive UN headquarters there.

She spent her junior year in college studying Chinese full time in Taiwan. Although she passed the US foreign service exam and thought about having a career as a diplomat, she decided instead to study history in graduate school, where she earned a PhD in Modern Chinese history. She has taught Chinese, Asian, and world history at UB since 2007.

Click here to see how we help students learn about things beyond the borders of the United States.

Ainslee Rose

Thank you to intern Ainslee Rose for her contributions to our International Exchanges and Education Department. During her time here, Ainslee worked on multiple projects, including writing proposals for IVLP visitor groups through the U.S. State Department and trivia questions for our annual and upcoming Community World Trivia Event at Roswell Park.

Ainslee says learning about the city’s robust community infrastructure was amongst her favorite parts of interning here at the International Institute of Buffalo.

“Besides the people, the team, everyone was so welcoming and fun to talk to, but also the new skills and side of things I was able to see,” Rose said. “I didn’t know how many resources we have here in Buffalo, in the community, and I got a glimpse of everything that goes into refugee resettlement.”

Now, she heads back to work for her alma mater, the University at Buffalo, in the Office of Orientation, Transitions, and Parent Programs, where she graduated this past December with a bachelor’s degree in Asian studies with a minor in linguistics. This August, Ainslee heads to Washington D.C. to begin her master’s degree in international affairs at Georgetown University.

Learn how we connect cultures from around the world.

QinDi Gerwitz-Dunn 

QinDi has been an intern in the Employment Services department since November 2024. She is a third-year student at Buffalo State University studying Anthropology. She chose the employment department because she is interested in helping people on their paths to self-sufficiency in the US.

QinDi has been assisting the Employment Team with job club, client intake 

meetings, resumes, wage reporting, and other day-to-day employment tasks. We appreciate all of QinDi’s hard work and wish her the best as she completes her internship this month.

 Click here to learn more about how we can help augment your organization's workforce with highly motivated employees.   

"The International Institute of Buffalo makes Western New York a better place for, and because of, immigrants and refugees."