Alumni Spotlight

Cayla McCoy Global Studies
Hi! My name is Cayla McCoy and I graduated in May of 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Global Studies. Currently, I have the pleasure of serving as a Refugee Processing Specialist for World Relief whose home office is located in Baltimore, MD.

Throughout my time as a Global Studies student, a desire to serve the refugee community blossomed so I began searching for a career that would marry my passion for refugees with the skillset that I had honed during my time at Auburn. With the end goal in mind of eventually working on the international side of refugee work by partnering with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), I began looking more toward the domestic side of refugee processing which is how I was first introduced to World Relief.

After months of not finding work that was within my desired focus area, I accepted a position with a non- profit ministry in the Atlanta area; however, I received a call from World Relief about 1 month into the job. I decided to casually interview to gain more experience but had no intension of changing career paths (little did I know the path ahead). During my initial interview, my now boss was highly impressed by the fact that I had a polished online portfolio and even told me, “I feel like I already know you.” Throughout the interview process, I underwent three interviews ranging from one-on-one to a panel where I was given the opportunity to explain how the multifaceted nature of the Global Studies program, coupled with my passions, aligned with World Relief’s mission and values. I spoke toward the idea that solutions to large scale global issues should be rooted in sustainable and holistic practices that are driven by Design Thinking Methodology through the lens of Cultural Intelligence. By providing examples of how I actively employed this mindset, the interviewers were highly impressed and shortly after offered me the job. How could I turn down the opportunity of a lifetime? After much prayer and planning, I eagerly accepted the position with World Relief.

The job has been a whirlwind since starting in August of 2021. With the fall of Afghanistan shortly after I started and the war in Ukraine, I was thrust into the deep end and pushed to learn by doing. It has been such a unique time to enter the field of Resettlement and Processing, but I am continually challenged to rely on things that I learned in the Global Studies program. From assisting with the development of World Relief’s resettlement plan in response to the Afghan crisis to being a liaison across multiple field offices for case management and family reunification processes, I encounter aspects of Social Policy, Sustainability, Hunger Studies, Family in Cross Cultural Perspectives, Global Hospitality, and Global Fluency – honestly, the list could go on and on. As I approach my 1 year of being in this role, I am so thrilled to see how it propels me into the rest of my career, but one thing is for sure, Global Studies was the tipping point.