By Rev. Peter Schattauer ’08

Roaya Ghuneim ’26

When Roaya Ghuneim ‘26, a sophomore double major in political science and qualitative economics from Tripoli, Lebanon, heard about the opportunity to intern at the Center for Leadership and Neighborhood Engagement (CLNE) in Minneapolis from a friend she knew through the Taylor Center, she wanted to learn more. After reading the job description, she was convinced she wanted to intern with the organization. But she still had one question she needed answered before she could fully commit; she knew that CLNE is a Christian organization and she wanted to know if she, as a Muslim, would be welcome there. 

Luckily, when CLNE Executive Director Pastor Kelly Chatman visited campus last spring, Roaya was able to ask him that question in person. As Roaya learned, CLNE – like St. Olaf and the Lutheran Center for Faith, Values, and Community – is both rooted in Lutheran tradition and open to people of all faiths or no faith at all. As Roaya says, “The internship itself did a great job of working with different people in the North Minneapolis community. The internship team was people from all over the world; people have different faiths, people have different beliefs, and I think that diversity in a work team was a strength.”

The internship itself did a great job of working with different people in the North Minneapolis community. The internship team was people from all over the world; people have different faiths, people have different beliefs, and I think that diversity in a work team was a strength.

Roaya Ghuneim ’26

Equipped with this knowledge, Roaya was confident that CLNE was the place for her to intern. She was excited to have broad work experience in a non-profit setting and to learn about financial development and reporting, community building, and community organizing. She was excited to live and work in a community different from St. Olaf; especially as a political scientist and economist, Roaya knew she would learn a lot about a community that, for political and social reasons, historically has not been invested in economically as much as St. Olaf and Northfield have. She wanted to hear from people on the Northside about what made their community engaged and rich. 

When Roaya started at CLNE last June, she had the opportunity to be involved in a number of projects, and she loved the flexibility the internship offered her. Her interest in community research motivated her to investigate mental health offerings on the Northside, especially the political and economic root causes of mental health disparities in the community. Her interest in learning from the people of North Minneapolis about their community motivated Roaya to work on a listening project with residents of the neighborhood. As she talked with people, she heard about their upbringings, what they love about their neighborhood, and their hopes for the future. She was also able to work with CLNE’s partner organization, A Peace of My Mind, to talk with people in the community about when they have found strength in the midst of struggle. 

As she talked with people, she heard about their upbringings, what they love about their neighborhood, and their hopes for the future.

Reflecting on her growth as an intern, Roaya knows she has learned so much about her passions and the type of future work she is interested in. As Roaya says, “What I learned more about myself is I really like to learn about marginalized communities and I really like to learn about the economic and political community histories. Before this internship, I didn’t know about how connected these community histories are; I thought I had to deal with politics or economics alone, but now I see how connected they are.” 

I really loved the small interactions with people. I was building a whole community for myself in North Minneapolis. Now I know all these people and I know these people are always willing to open their houses to me or talk to me whenever I need them and that feeling is really nice.

Roaya Ghuneim ’26

But the greatest joy of the summer for Roaya was the people! Through cookouts and interviews, she built a community for herself. “I really loved the small interactions with people. I was building a whole community for myself in North Minneapolis. Now I know all these people and I know these people are always willing to open their houses to me or talk to me whenever I need them and that feeling is really nice.” 

Empowered both by her work and relationships from this summer, Roaya returned to the Hill this fall with deep connections in a new community, skills for her future work, and gratitude for the deep investment placed in her future through this experience.