{"id":154,"date":"2019-07-17T18:17:55","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T18:17:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wcsu.wpengine.com\/news-archives\/angelarossizurowski\/"},"modified":"2019-07-17T18:17:55","modified_gmt":"2019-07-17T18:17:55","slug":"angelarossizurowski","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/angelarossizurowski\/","title":{"rendered":"2013 WCSU graduate leads nonprofit helping Connecticut’s new Americans"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DANBURY, CONN. <\/strong>\u2014 Western Connecticut State University<\/a> graduate Angela Rossi Zurowski<\/a> recalls the summer internship interview in 2005 that introduced her to the Connecticut nonprofit organization she now directs in providing wide-ranging services to new immigrants and refugees statewide.<\/p>\n

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\u201cDuring my graduate work on the Cuban exodus and the Eisenhower administration, my professor assigned me to do a summer internship at the International Institute of Connecticut<\/a>, a place I had never heard of,\u201d Zurowski said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen I arrived for my interview, the executive director glanced over my resume, then handed me a post-it note,\u201d she remarked. \u201cOn the note was an address for an apartment building in downtown Waterbury where she said there was a family of Somali Bantu refugees who had arrived the previous day. She told me, \u2018Go there and knock on the door. Tell them you\u2019re with the institute and see if they need any food \u2014 if they do, take them to the grocery store. If you like it, come back tomorrow and the job is yours.\u2019 <\/p>\n

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\u201cThe rest is history,\u201d Zurowski concluded.<\/p>\n

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During the past eight years, the Waterbury resident has acquired an impressive breadth of skills and experience that provide strong foundations for her present leadership role at the institute. Her first IIC staff positions as caseworker and later director in the refugee resettlement services department prepared her to assume steadily widening responsibilities in coordinating website design and startup, grant application submissions, and community outreach and education activities. She undertook the demanding task of mastering the complexities of U.S. immigration law to provide representation for clients who otherwise could not afford legal counsel, and became director of programs and development prior to her appointment in December 2010 as executive director of the IIC.<\/p>\n

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The institute, headquartered in Bridgeport with field offices in Stamford, Derby and Hartford, annually serves more than 7,000 recently arrived foreign-born immigrants, refugees and victims of human trafficking who reside in Connecticut.<\/p>\n

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IIC staff members with combined fluency in more than a dozen languages, working with an extensive volunteer network, provide a range of programs including refugee resettlement services, immigration and naturalization assistance, interpreter and translator support, English as a Second Language classes, job training and placement, and legal and personal counseling. The IIC mission statement<\/a> sets goals to promote self-sufficiency and integration in U.S. society among immigrant and refugee families in Connecticut, as well as to expand access to affordable immigration assistance and strengthen family bonds by assisting in reuniting family members and smoothing the path to U.S. citizenship.<\/p>\n

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\u201cNonprofits like IIC have many similarities with for-profit corporations, but they tackle the world\u2019s most challenging problems with the fewest resources, and the fewest incentives to measure performance.\u201d Zurowski observed. \u201cLetting the mission guide you allows you to solve the pressing organizational challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Zurowski said she has gained a more profound understanding of the challenges facing immigrants in America from her work in refugee resettlement and in representation of IIC clients as they struggle to negotiate complex and often confusing issues of immigration law.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI saw first-hand how resilient refugees can be in the face of multiple barriers, including a lack of English language skills, illiteracy, cultural differences, unfamiliarity with the community, trauma and stress,\u201d she said. \u201cThat experience has guided my decisions in my later roles, so that all roads always have come back to the mission.<\/p>\n

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\u201cGaining an understanding of the complex and often counter-intuitive immigration system was paramount in understanding the framework in which immigrants and refugees must work to resolve barriers, not the least their immigration insecurities,\u201d she added. \u201cUnderstanding immigration law breaks down myths about immigrants, and knowing their stories helps me to remember why our organization is here.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Zurowski\u2019s career path after earning her bachelor\u2019s degree in political science at Western in 2001 took several unforeseen turns before she arrived at the IIC. She initially entered the realm of Connecticut politics as a legislative aide for the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives and as a campaign coordinator for two Democratic House candidates in Stamford. An early interest in a possible career in law led her to accept a job as a legal assistant in a Stamford law office, but she quickly grew dissatisfied with routine work on divorce and personal injury cases and eager to find a new and more meaningful outlet for her interests and talents.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI knew something was missing, so I called my parents and told them I was quitting my law office job and going to grad school to pursue a degree in international relations, while returning to my previous bartending job to help pay for tuition,\u201d she said. \u201cThey were not thrilled.\u201d Still, Zurowski reset her course and completed studies to receive a master\u2019s degree in international relations at Southern Connecticut State University.<\/p>\n

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She has not forgotten the educational foundations for her career that she gained at Western in the courses taught by Dr. R. Averell Manes<\/a>, professor of political science and associate chair of the WCSU Department of Social Sciences.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMy classes with Dr. Manes in political science, conflict resolution and mediation pushed me to think outside the box and critically analyze in a way that led to better decisions,\u201d she observed. \u201cI learned to love research and writing as a result of her brilliant teaching and motivational coaching, and I learned a lot about myself and the ways that I interact with others. You work overtime to impress someone you respect so much, and in the end you set the bar higher and take pride in your work. That\u2019s what I took away from her.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Manes this year presented a conflict resolution workshop for IIC staff, and also worked with Zurowski when the IIC director hosted a Western student as part of the university\u2019s Hancock Student Leadership Program. Their collaborations have reawakened positive recollections of the WCSU graduate as \u201ca standout in the classroom, conscientious, intelligent and destined to do well in life personally and professionally,\u201d Manes said. \u201cI enjoyed and was challenged in the best possible ways by having her in my classes.<\/p>\n

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\u201cSince then, she has been very successful in living her values and working in her chosen field \u2014 not always easy to do \u2014 in a position that builds and improves the community and effectively uses her skills and knowledge,\u201d she added. \u201cAngela is a bright, energetic and hardworking woman who has made the most of her education by becoming a community leader, a role model, and a strong global citizen. She exemplifies how well an education from WCSU can prepare a student for a meaningful career.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Zurowski also credited her active participation at Western in the Student Government Association and other extracurricular programs for preparing her to tackle the multi-tasking challenges of work in the nonprofit sector. \u201cI can\u2019t say I was ever a shy kid,\u201d she said, \u201cbut having the opportunity to strengthen my leadership skills by organizing events, facilitating meetings, managing budgets, and collaborating with faculty and other students definitely helped me to gain an edge in my work after graduation. I am always grateful for the organizational and communication skills I gained at Western.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Zurowski grew up in Cheshire in \u201ca large, extended Italian-American family who surrounded me with love, but who also instilled in me an ethic for hard work and always reminded me to walk in other people\u2019s shoes.\u201d She sees the reflection of her family\u2019s philosophy in her own attraction from an early age to \u201centrepreneurial and community service-oriented pursuits, whether selling lemonade to buy a new bike or knocking on doors to raise money for cancer programs.\u201d <\/p>\n

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\u201cWe learned an important lesson early on to be empathetic and to help others,\u201d she observed. \u201cI watched my single mother persevere and make sacrifices throughout my childhood so that we could live in safety and I could attend a good school. Those kinds of values run deep in my family, and I am thankful for it.\u201d <\/p>\n

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For more information, contact the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.<\/p>\n

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\n Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England\u2019s best small private universities.<\/em><\/p>\n

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