Kesley White
Kelsey joined the CNNC and the Immigrant Health Access Project in February 2017. She first became interested in public health social work as a teenager, when she spent hours reading Where There Is No Doctor, a well-known handbook for global health workers.
During college, Kelsey had opportunities to interpret for patients at a clinic in rural Honduras, as well as collaborate with community health workers and midwives at a Mexican NGO. These international experiences gradually led her to connect with immigrant communities in the Southeast, her lifelong home.
After gaining several years of social work experience, Kelsey completed dual Master of Social Work and Master of Public Health degrees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While in graduate school, she interned as an advocate with Spanish-speaking families at an integrated health clinic and a community-based researcher with the UNC Refugee Mental Health and Wellness Initiative.
In her role at the CNNC, Kelsey focuses on outreach to the Latino community, supervises community health workers, and oversees program development for the Immigrant Health Access Project. She is passionate about social justice and health, and loves working alongside communities to learn about their strengths, improve health systems, and decrease health disparities. Kelsey is incredibly grateful for the support of her CNNC colleagues and for the hospitality she has received from immigrant and refugee community members in Greensboro!
Natacha Nikokeza
Originally from Burundi, East Africa, Natacha came to the United States nine years ago as a refugee with her husband, and two boys. Once she arrived, in an effort to support the overburdened resettlement agencies, she began volunteering and interpreting for the central African community being resettled.
Natacha fell in love with the work. After receiving her Master’s Degree in Law from Wake Forest University, she interned with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Washington, DC. The time away from her family in North Carolina, was the hardest part, but Natacha still learned a lot and was inspired by UNHCR’s work done in their Washington office.
Natacha joined the CNNC in June 2017, after working as a Resettlement Assistant and Match Grant Coordinator with World Relief in High Point, NC. Natacha coordinates programs and supervises AmeriCorps members and interns at Glen Haven and Legacy Crossing, two of the CNNC community center sites. She enjoys working closely with the community, partners, and in particular women. In 2015, prior to joining the CNNC Natacha co-founded Umoja (a Swahili word meaning togetherness) a mostly Congolese women’s group with the goal of educating and empowering it’s members.
Vung Ksor
Vung was born in a small Montagnard village in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. When she came to the United States as a young girl, she knew only one word of English, “Hello.” She struggled with this new country just like many other newcomers.
The Center for New North Carolinians holds a dear place in Vung’s heart. When she first came to the United States, she participated in the after school programs at the CNNC’s Glen Haven Community Center. The center played an important role in her life. The people there inspired her to be where she is today.
Vung believes education is the key to opportunity. She is the first person in her family to earn a college degree. She graduated from Guilford College in May of 2017, and majored in Community and Justice Studies. At Guilford, Vung served as a Bonner Scholar, enabling her to work with a diverse group of people. Vung has a great passion for working with people, especially those in immigrant and refugee communities. She volunteered and also worked for the Doris Henderson Newcomers School, and was a team member at Church World Service, a resettlement agency in Greensboro. She values all of the work that has been done toward making our community a welcoming, accessible place for everyone.
When Vung is not working as Refugee Health Coordinator at CNNC, she participates in the youth choir at her Montagnard church and takes a role as the coordinator for the kids’ programs. Staying connected to her roots is very important to Vung. She is close to her family and her community in Greensboro, and has also traveled to Vietnam, to keep in close touch with her relatives and the village community that has meant so much to her there.
We would also like to welcome Jannifer Pastorick, Judy Herrera, and Veronica Gonzalez who made the switch from AmeriCorps ACCESS Members to CNNC staff in 2017!