Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning

10/16/2026

📣 Calling internationally trained healthcare professional with ORR-eligible immigration statuses:

Spring Institute’s Career Pathways program is now enrolling participants in Colorado Welcome Back for Refugees! 🩺

If you’re a doctor, nurse, dentist, pharmacist, or behavioral health professional who trained outside the U.S., we can help you navigate your next career steps in Colorado.

Our FREE services include:
✅ One-on-one career coaching and goal setting
✅ Guidance on credential recognition and licensure pathways
✅ Career readiness workshops and networking opportunities
✅ Limited financial assistance

🌎 Open to ORR-eligible participants at all English proficiency levels!

Take the next step toward continuing your healthcare career in Colorado. 💙

📩 Contact us at [email protected] to learn more about eligibility and enrollment.

10/12/2026

Today, on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we honor the histories, cultures, resilience, and ongoing contributions of Indigenous peoples and communities. 🌎

At Spring Institute, our commitment to building a thriving intercultural community includes recognizing the people who have called these lands home since time immemorial and continuing to learn from the diverse cultures, histories, and perspectives that shape our shared communities.

We celebrate Indigenous communities in Colorado and across the country—today and every day.

Pictured: Remains of Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings found in present-day Mesa Verde National Park, southwestern Colorado, photographed in 2016.

10/08/2026

Colorado’s 2026 General Election is coming up! Have you made your plan to vote? 🗳️

Spring Institute’s 2026 Election Guide brings together key dates, voting information, and resources to help Coloradans prepare for Election Day, as well as information about Spring Institute’s positions on select statewide ballot measures aligned with our mission to build a thriving intercultural community through learning, language access, and advocacy.

Learn more, check your registration, explore what’s on your ballot, and make your voting plan well ahead of Election Day—Tuesday, November 3.

🔗 Read our 2026 Election Guide: https://go.levitate.ai/?s=9d2aEmodin&source=newsletter

10/05/2026

Today, Colorado observes Cabrini Day, a state holiday celebrated on the first Monday of October in place of Columbus Day. It honors Frances Xavier Cabrini and her legacy of service to immigrants and children. 🌎

Cabrini Day offers an opportunity to recognize what unites us while celebrating and respecting our differences—and uplifting the values of kindness, compassion, and community.

At Spring Institute, we share in that commitment as we work to build a thriving intercultural community where people of all backgrounds can contribute and thrive. 💛

Learn more about Cabrini Day and its history at CabriniDay.com

📍 Pictured: View from the grounds of Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden, Colorado

10/01/2026

Translation is about so much more than words—it creates pathways to understanding, connection, and belonging.

On , we celebrate the translators and interpreters whose work is essential to our mission of building a thriving intercultural community through learning, language access, and advocacy.

A special thank you to the talented language professionals of The Interpreter Network by Spring Institute for the care and skill you bring to this work every day. 💛

09/30/2026

Refugees are our neighbors, coworkers, taxpayers, and community members—and access to healthcare helps families stay healthy, stable, and economically secure.

We’re proud to amplify this timely commentary from RACC Refugee Action Coalition of Colorado members about the Medicaid changes taking effect October 1 and what they mean for thousands of Coloradans and the communities they call home.

📖 Read and share: https://coloradonewsline.com/2026/09/30/refugee-coloradans-pay-taxes-and-build-communities/

🚨 Beginning October 1, thousands of Coloradans—including refugees, asylees, humanitarian parolees, and trafficking survivors—are expected to lose Medicaid coverage under H.R. 1.

In new commentary for Colorado Newsline, Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning President & CEO Paula Schriefer and Kristy Beachy-Quick of CWS make the case for why this matters—not only for families losing healthcare, but for all of our communities.

📖 Read the full piece: https://coloradonewsline.com/2026/09/30/refugee-coloradans-pay-taxes-and-build-communities/

09/29/2026

We are so proud of Dr. Woldekiristos and grateful for the wonderful CO-WIP partnership with Denver Health!

As we head into the final week of Workforce Development Month, we’ll be highlighting just how Colorado’s workforce system creates economic opportunities for ALL. From supporting immigrants and workers shifting industries, to empowering people with disabilities and promoting apprenticeships; these efforts create opportunities for a stronger workforce that values everyone’s contributions.

Today, we’d like to share the story of Dr. Yonas Woldekiristos, MD:

Originally trained as a physician in Eritrea, a country in East Africa, Dr. Woldekiristos faced the complex and costly process of rebuilding his medical career in the U.S. Thanks to the Colorado Works for International Physicians (CO-WIP) partnership between Denver Health and the Spring Institute, and with support from our Office of New Americans, Dr. Woldekiristos received career coaching, residency preparation, and U.S. clinical experience. He passed multiple high-stakes exams, completed Denver Health’s nine-month Clinical Readiness Program, and last March he matched into a medical residency at a hospital in Pueblo.

Dr. Woldekiristos' success demonstrates the extraordinary talent present in Colorado’s immigrant communities and how creative workforce programs can enable internationally trained professionals to return to their careers, building a better .

09/22/2026

🍂 The autumn equinox reminds us that every season brings change. As we welcome fall, we’re reflecting on the many traditions, perspectives, and experiences that enrich our communities—and the connections that bring us together across languages and cultures.🍁

09/15/2026

The Community Voices Conference is Colorado Consumer Health Initiative's annual storytelling conference, bringing together community members to learn about and practice storytelling as a tool for personal, social, and political change. 📣

The day will include a keynote speaker, small-group workshops on advocacy and storytelling, a panel discussion, lunch, and time for networking and connecting with others! Spring Institute is proud to be partnering in this effort and we’d love to invite your community and networks to join us!

Registration is required, and folks can learn more and register here:
https://secure.everyaction.com/WNJ6XBphqUiTABrGE6pxLg2

09/14/2026

Sustaining Ourselves While Strengthening Our Community 💛🌎

At Spring Institute, building a thriving intercultural community starts with a staff team that feels connected, supported, and energized for the work ahead.

Our recent staff retreat gave us time to reconnect, recharge, learn from one another, and have some fun along the way! 🌱🤝✨

A big thank you to our wonderful retreat facilitators from WellPower for creating space for reflection, connection, and growth—and to our incredible team for all you do to make our community more welcoming, inclusive, and vibrant every day!