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April 26, 2024 (El Cajon) – Jolyana Jirjees, the new executive director of the Chaldean Community Council, recently sat down for an interview on East County Magazine’s radio show on KNSJ. She was a winner of San Diego Metro Magazine’s 40 under 40 award, and is also an elected member of the Cajon Valley Union School District board of trustee.
A refugee herself who fled religious persecution in Iraq when she was 19 years old and pregnant, she recalls, ““In my community in Iraq, it was very difficult to travel from one place to another due to street bombings or children being kidnapped for ransom.”
She came to San Diego without knowing English or where to turn for help. Fortunately, she was able to earn a high school diploma at Diego Valley, learn English, and obtain bachelor’s and master’s degrees from San Diego State in sociology and counseling.
“After I graduated, my main passion was to help the newcomer refugees as I struggled to find my way when arriving to the US, she recalls.
Under her guidance, the Council offers crucial social and educational services like ESL and citizenship classes, vital for integrating new immigrants into American society. Her efforts have provided a lifeline for many, helping them navigate through unfamiliar systems to access essential benefits, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She established a medical program that finds health insurance coverage for eligible low-income individuals and families and created a Computer Literacy Program to provide training on the use of computers and laptops.
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