The Wayne State student body had a special guest speaker last Wednesday: refugee specialist Alana Schriver. She is currently working for Omaha Public Schools and specializes in helping refugee students and their families get settled in Omaha.

Walking in to Gardener auditorium and seeing Schriver’s big smile was all a student needed to feel her warmth and welcoming attitude. She had a smile on her face the entire time she was presenting, and she offered the students a wealth of information.

By 3:30 p.m., Schriver was giving the presentation for the fourth time. If you didn’t already know that, though, you would never have guessed it. Students leaned in and clung to her every word.

Schriver has a diverse background, which includes studying abroad in Nepal and India. She also did a stint at Disney World working with people from a variety of countries. She had her first work study in Costa Rica, and she’s an avid supporter of the Peace Corps, as she was involved in a program that traveled to South America.

According to Schriver, “all refugees are immigrants, but not all immigrants are refugees.” Refugees are people who belong to a group that puts them in danger, and they are forced to move to safety. An immigrant is simply someone who moves to another country.

“Most refugees imagine the entire United States as a concrete jungle,” she said.

It’s important to know what a refugee is because one in 122 humans is a refugee, and 50 percent of refugees are children. Nebraska is actually a major spot for resettled refugees. In fact, 5.5 percent of Omaha originated as refugees, Schriver said.

Nebraska is very fortunate to have two cities, Lincoln and Omaha, with two of the lowest unemployment rates in the United States. This is why many resettlement agencies are located in those two cities, where the refugees have a greater chance of finding employment.

Nebraska is the only state that can guarantee at least one refugee per family a job within the first two months of their stay.

However, getting resettled in Nebraska isn’t easy; culture shock can be a heavy weight on these familys’ shoulders. Each family is paired with a social worker to help them find their way, but most agencies only allow the social workers to help for 60 to 90 days.

Omaha proudly gives refuge to people from over 40 different countries. The largest populations are from Sudan, South Sudan, Burma and Somalia. There are over 15,000 South Sudanese people living in Omaha, which is the largest population of this group in the United States.

Some issues that arise when refugees are resettled in Nebraska, or anywhere in the United States, are that they have no financial safety net, they have mental health issues that they can’t understand and many do not speak English.

Schriver’s main job is to help children and their families navigate their new home.

“These people have a different skill set than us,” she said. “They are resourceful, and they are survivors.”