CMRS Success Story: From Cairo to Caritas Switzerland
Lea Farida Studer, alumna of the MA in Migration and Refugee Studies at The American University in Cairo (AUC), shares how CMRS equipped her with the skills to secure a key role at Caritas Switzerland.
After completing her MA at CMRS, where she conducted ethnographic research on the emigration aspirations of youth in El-Mina, Lebanon, Studer joined Caritas Switzerland as a project lead for concept development.
In her current role, Studer contributes to the Netzwerk Betreuung project, which bridges integration and social support by involving asylum seekers as volunteers in social institutions. Drawing on the academic insights she gained at CMRS, she is translating research into practice—helping foster meaningful connections between migrants and host communities.
Studer reflects:
“My time at CMRS gave me the theoretical knowledge and research skills I needed to engage with migration in a practical, socially impactful way. Now I can see the direct link between academic research and integration work in Switzerland.”
This is part of CMRS’s ongoing efforts to highlight the achievements of its alumni and showcase how the program prepares graduates to make real-world contributions in migration and refugee work.