Sarah Petrin writes that asylum seekers in Maine need more than work permits to succeed. They need to be received by welcoming communities.

When I was a student, like you, I used to ask myself, what will my life be like? When I was sitting where you are, I truly had no idea about all the places I would go and the work that I would do. When I was earning a degree in International Relations, I didn’t even study many of the countries that I have worked in over the last 20 years. That is why I want to give you 3 words of advice that will withstand the test of time.

What do soldiers do when they encounter a child armed with explosives? How can we prevent girls from being taken as brides for terrorists? And how can we prepare for displacement due to climate change? These and other dilemmas helped inform NATO leaders’ decision last month to include in their final communiqué an important reference to “human security,” a concept central to building more inclusive and resilient societies…

When I started writing this book, the world was a different place. Little did I know it then, that a virus called COVID-19 would spread throughout the globe, dramatically changing our lives. The virus offers us what every crisis does – an opportunity to reflect and rebuild.

Understanding violence is different than touching it. Violence against women knows no boundaries. Mrs. Chan seeks protection from domestic violence in the Philippines. In a hospital in South Africa, I hold a woman’s mutilated body as she is sewn together.

Can going to a new place change you? Absolutely. When I went on a work trip to Italy, I knew that I would have a good time. What I didn’t know was that when the meetings ended, and I had a few days to wander, that I was going on a pilgrimage. Little did I know that I would soon find myself in the midst of ancient mysteries.

In a matter of days, the coronavirus has changed the way we live. We are not used to adjusting our lives to the crisis of the day. A crisis is something that happens to other people in other countries. It is something we watch on the news. But now it is happening to us.