Presence Erodiance reflects on her life in Tanzania as a child and how her experience in a refugee camp shaped her career decisions. She also discusses how WRQC’s Youth Mentoring and Refugee Career Pathways programs paved the way for her to pursue her career goals.

Presence’s inspiring education journey was made possible by her willingness to take advantage of services and opportunities.

Presence arrived in the U.S. at 15 from Tanzania and started school as a freshman. She is one of the youngest siblings of five, and therefore feels that she got “more opportunities to learn about America and get the highest education possible.”  

She recalled some of her shocking moments when she first arrived, which included seeing “tall buildings, pavement roads,” and “so many cars.”  

Another shocking factor was attending school in the U.S. for the first time.  

“It was so hard trying to understand the teacher and the rules, like what I should do and should not do,” she shared.  

To overcome the challenge of language barrier, Presence spent time “communicating a lot with everyone, watching tv, and going to community events to meet different people.” 

The motive

The eagerness to learn and to proficiently speak a new language came from her desire to give back, particularly to those who experience vulnerability with health complications.  

“I am planning to be a nurse,” Presence stated. “You see how families in our current community, and back home in Tanzania, die from sickness because they don’t get the treatment they need, and money is a huge barrier,” she continued.  

Having to witness the deaths of her surrounding neighbors at a young age, Presence shared that she’s “always wanted to be a nurse.” 

Carrying out the plan

Just a year after her arrival in the U.S., Presence was enrolled to the WRQC Youth Mentoring Program.  

“They came to my house and asked if I wanted to join, and I said ‘yes,’ because I wanted to learn more about colleges and I know I could use their guidance,” she stated.  

Through the Youth Mentoring Program, Presence also has access to Refugee Career Pathways, which provides services such as application help, diploma translation and help finding opportunities within her desired field.  

“I told them my parents don’t have money to help with college, so they’ve been helping me apply for scholarships, for nursing programs and even trying to help me secure a summer part time job,” she stated.  

Currently, Presence is volunteering at Trinity Hospital ER in Rock Island, which will help her with scholarships for nursing school.  

As she looks forward to this upcoming school year, her goal is to maintain her high GPA and keep up the good work. 

With her involvement in Youth Mentoring Program, Presence also encourages other students to get into the program.  

“They should join because they are going to get lots of help, if they have questions about what they should do in life or their career, the program can help them,” she stated.  

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Want to learn more about Youth Mentoring Program or become a volunteer mentor, please reach out to Lauren at Lparsons@wr.org. Or, fill out a volunteer application:

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Kler Soe is the Communications Specialist at World Relief Quad Cities. She joined the team after graduating from St. Ambrose University in May of 2023 with a degree in Public Relations and Strategic Communication. As a refugee herself, she hopes to bring awareness to World Relief’s work through stories.