Lucy Arnold: Communications Volunteer

Home for me is the rainy but beautiful region of Seattle in the American Pacific Northwest, where I love hiking and trail running whenever I can. I am currently an undergraduate at Stanford University in California, where I am studying interdisciplinary environmental science and human rights.
The past few months that I have spent in Cape Town mark the first time I have lived abroad, and being here through the water crisis and so much political change has been absolutely fascinating. In general, I have found Cape Town to be an extremely vibrant city and a place where I have reflected more deeply on my identity than anywhere else. I found Scalabrini through its connections to the Stanford study abroad program I am part of, and I have been so excited to work here and be surrounded by the activities of a refugee rights NGO.

Over the past couple months, I have been the communications volunteer, tasked with developing social media content, writing articles, helping cover events, and more. Most days, my work involves interacting with different types of media, writing social media posts and articles catered to different audiences, and researching for new rounds of content. Working at Scalabrini, I have learned the importance of flexibility, patience, and tenacity.

“Being at Scalabrini is also a very humbling experience – though I rarely interacted with clients in my work, I was always surrounded by colleagues who are deeply committed to what they do and clients whose stories show incredible resilience in the face of adversity.”

Moving on from Scalabrini, I am going to continue working toward my bachelors degree. After that, I am interested in pursuing law school, masters work, a PhD, or some combination. I hope to one day pursue a career at the intersection of environmental sustainability and human rights.