Look Who it Was Random video

Refugees starting over | Kathryn Stam | TEDxUtica

2,614 views · Published 12 November 2014 · 21:19 · Indexed 24 October 2026

Channel: TEDx Talks · 2014 · Nonprofits & Activism

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This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Utica is the city that loves refugees and over 25% of the cities population are former refugees. Kathryn Stam shares her story about how they are shaping our community, the challenges they face, and the lessons we can learn from them.

Kathryn R. Stam, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the SUNY Institute of Technology in Utica, New York. She is the Coordinator of the online Master’s Program in Information Design and Technology and she teaches undergraduate anthropology. Her specialties are cross-cultural communication, ethnography, Thai and Lao studies, and information technology. She speaks Thai, Lao, and some Nepali. As an advisor for the student group, “American and Refugee Students for Closer Connection,” she helps to organize activities for new refugees and local students to share their cultures and to ease the transition to American life for the new arrivals. Her most recent project is “Refugees Starting Over in Utica, NY,” a SUNYIT-based collaborative project which brings students and community members together through events, exhibits, film, social media, field trips, and volunteer work (startingoverutica.com).


About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

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