Title:Alumna learns to live in service to others

When Joan Nau Huai (SFS’21) came to the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor refugee from Myanmar, she was resettled in foster care in Arizona by Catholic Charities. She decided to pursue political science and chose Georgetown because the Jesuit values aligned with her own.

Nau Huai received full financial aid and was accepted into the Community Scholars Program.

“It was an invaluable opportunity for me to be a part of a meaningful and caring community and learn about different resources, like Georgetown Scholars Program (GSP) peer mentorship and the Center for Social Justice (CSJ),” says Nau Huai, who later served as a GSP peer mentor.

Participating in CSJ’s alternative break program in New York City with the Queer Youth Homelessness program and working with DC Schools Project “provided further insight into the different injustices that aren’t often highlighted,” she says.

She was also a member of the Asian Pacific Islander Leadership Forum and studied abroad in Singapore, though her trip was disrupted by COVID-19 pandemic.

“During the pandemic I didn’t have a home to return to,” says Nau Huai. “I’m very grateful to Georgetown for not only supporting me throughout my undergrad, but also serving as my home when I didn’t have one.”

After graduation, Nau Huai found a new home among the Burmese Catholic community at Our Lady of Victory (OLV) Parish in Baltimore. She co-founded the community’s association where she organizes cultural, religious, and volunteer events throughout the year.

When the Archdiocese of Baltimore proposed to close OLV as part of its Seek the City to Come initiative in April 2024, Nau Huai and fellow parishioners successfully organized and campaigned against the proposal by speaking at the public hearing session and through writing petition letters.

“I witnessed the power of community organizing, from children to elderly, showing up and being present in solidarity with one another,” says Nau Huai. “I believe that including and amplifying everyone’s lived experiences, particularly that of Burmese Catholic refugees, made a significant impact on the Archdiocese’s decision to keep the parish open.”

Nau Huai continues her service work by coordinating a tutoring program for the community’s low-income students, co-creating the parish’s community garden that partly supports the food pantry for neighborhood households in need, and serving on the pastoral council at OLV. She also works full time as an administrative coordinator for Education Abroad at the University of Maryland, College Park.