A celebration of refugee support and interfaith collaboration honors over 50 ESL students and a year of cross-cultural learning.
In a lively celebration marked by certificates, balloons and applause, the Burlington Masjid included English as a Second Language (ESL) students and Elon volunteers as part of their yearly Sunday School graduation for the first time.
More than 50 immigrant and refugee students received recognition for their dedicated participation in weekly English classes supported by Elon University students, faculty, and staff.
The graduation marks a milestone in an ongoing partnership between the Burlington Masjid and Elon’s Multifaith Scholars Program, as well as Elon’s Global Neighborhood. Throughout this academic year, Elon students and staff have volunteered at the Masjid, providing structured ESL instruction, tutoring and conversation support to a community made up primarily of newcomers from Afghanistan and Syria.
“This initiative is rooted in our commitment to global citizenship and local engagement,” said Sandy Marshall, faculty director of the Global Neighborhood and interim director of the Multifaith Scholars Program. “The Burlington Masjid plays a vital role in supporting newly arrived refugees, and this collaboration is a natural extension of our shared goals.”
Each Sunday morning throughout the academic year, approximately 50 students have gathered for lessons in listening, reading and writing in English. The program is tailored to meet the unique needs of learners adapting to life in a new country.
Multifaith Scholar Bethany Marzella ’24 and Elon College Fellow Rachel Curtis ’24 were among the early volunteers who helped launch the initiative with just a handful of students in 2023. As the number of refugee families in the Burlington area increased, so did interest from Elon volunteers, especially amid reductions in federal refugee resettlement support.
Alyssa Carney ’26, an international and global studies and history double major, and Owen Hayes ’26, a history major, began volunteering in fall 2024, as part of their community engagement efforts with the MFS program. Recognizing the need for consistent, structured language support, they worked with Marshall and the Masjid to help expand the program.
“Seeing the class grow has been incredible,” said Dina Halayqa, volunteer coordinator for the ESL program at the Masjid. “This is more than just grammar and vocabulary. It’s a space where people are rewriting their stories in a new land.”
Greatly contributing to the growth of the program has been the dedicated support given by Nicole Galante, assistant director of National and International Fellowships, who joined as a volunteer in January. Like Halayqa, Galante agrees that the program is about more than language learning.
“Meaning-making is a communal process that transcends the boundaries of language,” said Galante. “I love helping students at the masjid learn English, but I really love coming together despite our differences to learn more about ourselves and the world.”
Additional volunteers who joined in the spring include Jesse White ’26, also a multifaith scholar, Tajallah Amirkhil ‘28, Huria Tahiry ‘26 and Jenna Abousaab ‘27. With increased capacity, the program offers two class sections: one for primarily Arabic-speaking students from Syria, and another for Dari and Pashto speakers from Afghanistan.
“As a Syrian American, it’s incredibly meaningful to have been a part of this experience,” said Abousaab, “which has not only allowed me to give back to the community but has helped me reconnect with my roots in a way I never expected.”
Yasmeen, a Syrian student in the program, shared what the class has meant to her: “I still have a lot of learning to do, but this class has taught me how to build relationships in my community and communicate with my neighbors.”
For the Elon students involved, the experience has offered insight into community engagement, cross-cultural connection and mutual learning.
As the program looks to continue in the next academic year, organizers hope to further expand the curriculum, recruit more volunteers, and build on the deep relationships formed through language and learning.