Clare Loussaert, a member of St. Thomas More Parish in Coralville, began her Catholic Campaign for Human Development internship in January.
By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
IOWA CITY — College student Clare Loussaert is passionate about helping Spanish speakers break through language barriers. She did not speak Spanish growing up — “No one in my family speaks it,” she told The Catholic Messenger. Yet, when she started volunteering at the Iowa City Catholic Worker hospitality house seven years ago, “I saw how it could be useful to learn and help me communicate better with others.” The hospitality house primarily supports Spanish-speaking immigrants as they transition to life in the United States.
Loussaert, a member of St. Thomas More Parish in Coralville, now serves as an English teacher with Catholic Worker’s immigrant advocacy partner organization, Escucha Mi Voz Iowa. The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is funding her work through the Diocese of Davenport’s CCHD internship program. “My goal is to give students tools to be successful outside of the classroom,” she said. Loussaert and her team of volunteers teach English and help immigrants understand their rights in the workplace.
Loussaert has dedicated the past several years of her life to mastering Spanish, inspired by the work of Iowa City Catholic Worker co-founders Emily Sinnwell and David Goodner. Sinnwell, whose Spanish fluency allows her to work with immigrants on a deeper level, “has been a huge role model for me.” Spurred by Sinnwell’s advice to “learn through experience,” Loussaert took a gap year between high school and college to work at a bilingual school in Austin, Texas. “It was an incredible experience,” said Loussaert, now a junior at the University of Iowa studying Spanish and elementary education with an English as a second language endorsement.
Sinnwell and Goodner encouraged Loussaert to consider applying for the CCHD internship, which began in January. “It was a way to connect my faith more formally to the work I was doing,” Loussaert said. She is in regular contact with the diocesan Social Action Office as she continues her mission to help immigrants “navigate the world.”
Sometimes, the language barriers go beyond English and Spanish. Some class participants — Guatemalans in particular — grew up speaking indigenous languages and have limited Spanish proficiency. “It was eye opening and pushed me, as a teacher, to (figure out) how to meet those students’ needs and give them high-quality content” while helping volunteers implement solutions in real time.
Loussaert continues to work on her own Spanish fluency and recently spent three months studying abroad in Spain through the University of Iowa’s Hispanic Institute program. All coursework was presented in Spanish, and she spoke Spanish exclusively with her host family.
After graduation, Loussaert hopes to apply for a Fulbright scholarship to teach English in Columbia. “It’s pretty competitive,” she said. After that, she hopes to earn a master’s degree and teach at a dual-language school in which all students gain proficiency in English and Spanish.
The diocesan Office of Social Action is now accepting applications for the 2026/2027 Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) internship. This internship provides a unique opportunity to support those who live on the margins of society.
The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is the official anti-poverty, social justice program of the U.S. Catholic bishops, working to promote systemic change, leadership development and empowerment of low-income communities through grants and transformative education.
The internship is 14 flexible hours per week for 24 weeks. Salary is $20 an hour. The intern must be able to participate in virtual training May 27-29. After completing the training, the intern will work with Quad Cities Interfaith, Escucha Mi Voz and/or local CCHD funded groups. Tasks will vary but may include: parish education, training and outreach, letter and article writing, research, or developing relationships with the community organizations.
Spanish speaking is preferred but not required.
Applications are due May 2. For more information or to apply for the internship go to http://www.davenportdiocese.org/cchd-internship-opportunities.
