Anastassia Christensen
Community Educator
Anastassia Christensen joined the Catholic Charities Milwaukee team in 2019 as a Community Fellow through the Master of Sustainable Peacebuilding program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. As the Refugee Education Initiatives Coordinator, she worked on newcomer parent education in partnership with a local MPS school by focusing on parent-driven goals and partnered with Rohingya women in Milwaukee to build strengths-based programming. After supporting agency-wide grant writing and communication efforts last year, she rejoined the Refugee & Immigration Services team as a Community Educator in 2021. Anastassia develops multilingual education resources to help refugee and immigrant families better navigate complex American systems and life in the US.
Anastassia earned her Bachelor’s degree in Global Studies and minor in Arabic from the UW-Milwaukee. After spending formative time abroad in Jordan and completing an AmeriCorps service year as a Refugee Life Skills Coordinator, she was drawn to graduate studies to learn how to engage with complex systems and issues. In 2020, she earned her Master’s degree in Sustainable Peacebuilding from UW-Milwaukee and completed a 2-year Community Fellows program. Anastassia brings a complexity-aware, transdisciplinary, and systems-thinking lens to her work at Catholic Charities. She enjoys cultivating strong relationships across communities and disciplines to build understanding, belonging, and exciting systems change!
In her spare time, she enjoys running, exploring new places, and spending time with family and friends.
Anastassia Christensen
Community Educator
Anastassia Christensen joined the Catholic Charities Milwaukee team in 2019 as a Community Fellow through the Master of Sustainable Peacebuilding program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. As the Refugee Education Initiatives Coordinator, she worked on newcomer parent education in partnership with a local MPS school by focusing on parent-driven goals and partnered with Rohingya women in Milwaukee to build strengths-based programming. After supporting agency-wide grant writing and communication efforts last year, she rejoined the Refugee & Immigration Services team as a Community Educator in 2021. Anastassia develops multilingual education resources to help refugee and immigrant families better navigate complex American systems and life in the US.
Anastassia earned her Bachelor’s degree in Global Studies and minor in Arabic from the UW-Milwaukee. After spending formative time abroad in Jordan and completing an AmeriCorps service year as a Refugee Life Skills Coordinator, she was drawn to graduate studies to learn how to engage with complex systems and issues. In 2020, she earned her Master’s degree in Sustainable Peacebuilding from UW-Milwaukee and completed a 2-year Community Fellows program. Anastassia brings a complexity-aware, transdisciplinary, and systems-thinking lens to her work at Catholic Charities. She enjoys cultivating strong relationships across communities and disciplines to build understanding, belonging, and exciting systems change!
In her spare time, she enjoys running, exploring new places, and spending time with family and friends.
Background Image: Shawl, China
Integration and Education
Free Classes and Programs
Refugees and immigrants of all backgrounds can benefit from the free education and integration services we offer. It’s hard to learn new systems, customs, processes, and languages. But with support from Catholic Charities Milwaukee, you can better understand American culture, prepare for citizenship, learn English, and more. If you have questions about one of our education and integration programs, or would like to register, please contact Anastassia. She speaks English and is conversational in Arabic.
Email: achristensen@ccmke.org
Additional Resources
Refugees are not automatically given green cards; you must follow a unique set of rules to apply for one. The refugee green card application is free, but each family member will have to apply individually.
Refugees coming to the United States must make several adjustments, and often have questions about green cards, citizenship, and work permits.
Becoming a U.S. citizen gives you many advantages over being a lawful permanent resident. In addition to a long list of personal requirements, you must fill out a form and pay a fee. Ultimately, your best chance at success will be through the help of an honest and experienced immigration attorney.