On Friday, March 17, representatives from UC San Diego Center for Community Health attended “Spirit of the Barrio”, an event hosted by Family Health Centers of San Diego since 1986. This year’s topic centered on the process of seeking asylum and the struggles of assimilation. While enjoying some lovely homemade tamales and networking with other refugee advocacy groups, we had a panel discussion with remarkable speakers from the International Rescue Committee, County of San Diego’s Health and Human Service Agency, Survivors of Torture International, and Newcomers Support and Development. Dr. Kristin Brownell from Family Health Services of San Diego had the opportunity to mention the Dunya Women’s Collaborative, which focuses on the prevention of Female Genital Cutting (FGM) along with tailoring OB/GYN care to the needs of women who are at risk and/or have been affected by it. Overall, this luncheon was very enlightening and perfectly highlighted the experience that many refugees are dealing with along with ways that we as a community can make this transition for refugees as smooth as possible.