Vivian Bui grew up in New Jersey and moved to Chicago to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature at Northwestern University. She is the proud daughter of Vietnamese refugees and is now a first-generation college student. Prior to volunteering at FORA, Vivian helped newly naturalized citizens register to vote and worked as an ESL and Citizenship Tutor helping immigrants prepare for their citizenship interviews. With her six years tutoring experience, Vivian was excited to combine her passions of supporting refugees and working with children.

Emily Ibrahim was born just south of Chicago and lived there until coming to Loyola University to pursue a degree in political science and global studies, along with a minor in economics. As a major advocate for refugee rights, Emily founded the Loyola Refugee Coalition in the spring of 2023, in hopes of raising awareness of the global refugee crisis across Loyola’s campus. Looking to do more for the refugee community specifically within Chicago, Emily came to FORA as a restorative justice intern in the summer of 2023. Upon graduation, she hopes to work for an international organization providing humanitarian assistance to refugees. In her free time, Emily enjoys running, reading, and playing soccer.

Ali Khan is a current senior at Loyola University Chicago pursuing a double major in biochemistry and bioinformatics, with double minors in biostatistics and German language studies. Having been a West Ridge native for much of his life, Ali was especially excited to join FORA's cohort as a volunteer tutor in early 2022, as he believed it to be a wonderful way for him to directly give back to the community he considered his home for many years. Being a first-generation student, Ali sympathizes with many students at FORA when it comes to the challenges of adapting to life in America — especially when it comes to learning English and making one's voice heard, both things he seeks to empower and educate students in this summer. He hopes to attend medical school sometime in the near future and work as a physician or physician scientist. When he isn't tutoring, you might catch him working on the intern profile page!

Mikaila Flagg grew up in Joliet, Illinois. She moved to the city to attend Loyola University Chicago. She is currently pursuing a bachelor of arts in political science and global studies with a minor in Spanish. Mikaila plans to continue at Loyola to pursue a Master's in international affairs. She hopes to one day work in immigration as a foreign service officer in South America. Mikaila began working for FORA in the spring of 2021 as a work-study educational fellow. Mikaila believes education gives children control and autonomy over their lives. Outside of FORA, Mikaila enjoys working for Loyola University Chicago's CHANGE: Challenging Antiquated Norms for Gender Equality and PDC: Political Discourse Club.

Maya Vuchic was born and raised in New Jersey, and grew up with a love of reading and education. Following her high school graduation, she spent a year in Boston working as an AmeriCorps volunteer at a Boston public elementary school, supporting underserved fifth graders in English language arts. There, she discovered a love of educating young folks, and she currently is pursuing a degree in human development in context and sociology at Northwestern University with the hope of going into education or nonprofit administration. She also involves herself in numerous service- and education-focused groups which work in Chicago and Evanston to promote education equity in her local communities.