Nearly 85,000 refugees legally arrived in the United States in the year 2016 with hopes of being successfully assimilated into society. Fleeing political, economic, or social turmoil, many of these people are ripped away from their homes, cultures and personal histories, and come possessing little more than their names and the clothes on their backs.
The U.S. is a developed country with a culture of consumerism, wealth and opportunity which manifests itself in a way many displaced individuals have never seen before. Once they are settled, the challenges in refugees’ lives take a sharp shift from physical survival to assimilating in an environment where the pressure of success, wealth and stability are much higher.