Hi there! I'm Isabel Schmieta and I'm the Support Specialist here at Hope Immigration. My role entails a variety of tasks, from interviewing clients for their statements, filing cases, organizing the mail, and more.

I am a first-generation German-American from Marietta, Georgia, raised by German parents from Hannover and East Berlin. We only spoke German at home growing up and spent summers visiting extended family in Germany and other countries along the way! I've always been interested in other cultures and languages, and traveling is a huge passion of mine. So far, I've been to 32 countries and have friends scattered all over.

Although I'm new to the Hope team, I'm not new to the field of immigration! I first became interested in human rights in high school and immigration particularly after an internship at World Relief in Atlanta in 2017. These experiences inspired me to pursue my Bachelor's at NYU in Global Liberal Studies with a concentration in Politics, Rights, and Development. During my four years at NYU, I was able to study in New York City, Florence, and Berlin. After graduating in 2021, I went to the University of Oxford to pursue my Master's in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies, and graduated in 2022.

Despite no longer being a student, I am still constantly learning and expanding my knowledge in the immigration space. I remain passionate about the topic of forced migration, particularly with asylum seekers and refugees. I am lucky to have had many amazing and rewarding opportunities to be involved in those areas, especially in my local community with the work that Hope Immigration does. As a young professional, I hope to expand these horizons further in the years to come.

Besides my passion for immigration, I also enjoy working on creative projects! While I love a variety of arts and crafts, you'll most likely find me curled up somewhere crocheting stuffed animals while listening to an audiobook.