By Jennifer T. Allen 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 24, 2025) — Plamedi Nsensele feels called to help others navigating their new life in the United States. 

“As an international student at the University of Kentucky, I see it as a blessing to pursue my education without the fear of needing help,” said Nsensele, a neuroscience and biology major from The Democratic Republic of the Congo. “Now, through the Step-Up Program, I’ve had the opportunity to work with immigrants from the same country as me, but with different circumstances.” 

Step-Up is an innovative service-learning program supporting high school students from immigrant and refugee families. The program helps them integrate into the United States. The program was recently awarded a Provost Impact Award for the 2024-25 academic year.  

Started in Fall 2023, Step-Up was created by Francis Musoni, professor of history and director of the International Studies Program in the College of Arts and Sciences. Musoni, who immigrated to the United States from Zimbabwe for his doctoral work, recognized the need for this type of program and felt the connection between UK students and local refugee populations could augment the educational aspirations of young refugees in the area. 

“While English may not be the first language for some, we hope to show that they can still make it into UK, pursue a program of their choice and end up in a career of their dreams,” Musoni said.  

The additional funding allowed the program, supported by UK’s College of Arts and Sciences and College of Education, to recruit 30 University of Kentucky students as mentors for the Fall 2024 semester. These student mentors support Fayette County public high school students with their current coursework, assist them in navigating a new language and a new way of life and help them through the college application process.  

The award also made campus tours possible for English as a Second Language (ESL) high school students.  

“We are bringing four groups of ESL high school students to UK’s campus for campus tours and this is really important,” Musoni said. “Most of these students because of where they are coming from with their family backgrounds would not be able to come to see UK because most of their parents don’t have any significant understanding of the education system in the U.S. We hope these tours will let the students see the possibilities and opportunities beyond high school.” 

An important part of the program’s success has been the addition of a graduate assistant made possible through the Impact Award. 

“This is a big development,” Musoni said. “Working to connect with community partners and manage and understand their needs as well as recruiting UK students and working to fit their schedules, abilities and language proficiency is a large task.” 

Omotope Matilda Solomon, a curriculum and instruction education sciences doctoral student in the College of Education who recently earned her master’s in German Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, is the program’s first graduate student assistant.  

“As a first-year Ph.D. international student from Nigeria and a parent having studied in Africa, Europe and now North America, I have experienced firsthand the peculiarities of cross-cultural challenges and acculturation,” Solomon said. “The program’s core value is to support youths by being tutors and mentors, which aligns with my values of supporting, mentoring and fostering a sense of community and social responsibility.”  

Through their work with Step-Up, UK students can also carry out research. Six fellows presented papers at the Kentucky Refugee Ministries Summit last June. Musoni hopes to continue expanding the research component of the program including the possibility of creating a joint publication. 

“We are exploring how we can go beyond just the service to also produce scholarship and literature that can be used to better understand what is going in ESL education as well as help school systems and other service providers better understand the communities and the group of students that are there and that they are helping,” he said. “That is the number one and perhaps greatest thing I bring to the table as a migration studies scholar.”  

Musoni is looking at what migration means, how people end up here, what the refugee screening process is like, what it is like to live in a refugee camp for 10 to 15 years before being resettled and how people adjust after living in such an environment.  

Through the Step-Up Program, UK students are engaged in helping not only answer these questions but working to make an impact on people’s lives.  

“What I look forward to – and continue to appreciate – is the joy and smiles on the students’ faces whenever they understand something or make progress,” Nsensele said. “While we come to learn, it’s our responsibility to give back and support others with the knowledge and experiences we’ve gained. This program not only builds your character but also makes you more aware of issues and challenges that others face, inspiring you to be part of the solution.” 

Solomon sees the direct impact the program has not only on the community, but the student mentors. 

“Student tutors and mentors do not need to wait until they travel abroad to begin to develop their cross-cultural competency and insight into global issues,” she said. “It is an invaluable experience for careers in diplomacy, education, international relations, social work or other fields that requires cross-cultural communication and understanding. Tutors embrace challenges that help them develop flexible problem-solving skills and empathy towards challenges that other people face, with a sense of gratitude for skills that they have and perhaps undervalue.” 

After a year with the Step-Up program, Musoni is focused on making sure the program continues so the impact continues to grow. 

“Looking ahead, we aim to increase the number of UK tutors and high school ESL students who participate in this program each semester. By doing so, we anticipate seeing increased school attendance, increased graduation rates, and college readiness among the refugee and immigrant students in Fayette County,” Musoni said. “We also plan to expand the Step-Up agenda to include research fellowships for UK students interested in migration and refugee studies.” 

Being part of the Step-Up Program has offered more than just academic assistance and insight to the high school students involved; it has opened their eyes to new possibilities.  

“Young students see and work closely with UK students who are advancing their education. They have examples of possibilities as they try to chart their own academic and career journeys,” Solomon said. “This helps them imagine what is wildly possible.”