Here’s just one of the many refugee job seeker journeys that touched us deeply in 2021: Ivana was a journalist in Sudan and then South Sudan, known for courageously bringing to light the stories of women displaced during war. She came to the United States seeking safety while pregnant and with a young son. Her first home was a shelter in New York.

Like many immigrant women, Ivana found low-wage work as a home health aide. The shifts were irregular and poorly paid, but allowed her to find an apartment for her family, where we visited her on a cold, rainy day in February. Even as she juggled child care and loneliness, Ivana’s fighting spirit was hard to miss, as was her passionate determination to regain professional work that was a critical part of her identity. Ivana used any moments she found, at night or on weekends, to work with Upwardly Global staff and volunteers on job skills training and networking, and to start her own online radio program.

The job search process is an emotional one, especially when you are isolated in a new country without a social network or support. Ivana’s spirits soared when she applied for two professional roles, but two successive rejections in the final rounds brought her way down. However, She is nothing if not resilient; she continued with her day job for basic needs, as well as her engagement with Upwardly Global.

Just a few weeks ago, Ivana joined our thousands of alumni. Minutes after she finally received a job offer from an organization to which we had introduced her, Ivana reached out, elated, to let us know about her new role. She will be a case manager for women who have faced violence and battle poverty, a way to engage her transferable skills and passion. And she will at last earn a family-supporting wage for herself and her boys. Ivana’s struggles meant so much to the individuals who connected with her, and her joy was something to witness.

This past year, hundreds of stories like Ivana’s motivated the Upwardly Global staff, Board, and greater community to work with unceasing dedication to support immigrants and refugees. Harnessing the passion of this community, building meaningful employer and funding partnerships, and leveraging technology drive of our vision to transform opportunity for millions more.

While individual stories ground us in doing this critical work, several events dominated headlines in 2021 and changed the way we view the world and the workplace.

Even as 2022 promises many new challenges and the greatest refugee crisis since World War II, we feel fortunate to do this work everyday, and so honored to be doing it alongside you.