Aniko Szabo

Aniko Szabo is a second-generation Hungarian-American who emigrated with her mother, father, and twin sister from a refugee camp in Latina, Italy to the United States in 1983. She grew up in Connecticut, and still resides there today. Before entering the Masters program in International and Area Studies at Central Connecticut State University in the spring of 2010, she received a B.A. in Psychology with a concentration in children and youth at Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU). As part of her studies, she completed an internship as a teacher’s aide in a kindergarten classroom at the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford, Connecticut. She also worked as a mentor at Windham High School and on campus as a tutor for university students at the ECSU Learning Center. After graduating in 2005, Aniko began her professional career as a Mental Health Counselor at Manchester Memorial Hospital, where she stayed for 5 years. During this time, she also pursued a Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Central Connecticut State University, but eventually changed her major to International Studies, with a focus on the European Union. Her thesis focused on how first and second-generation Hungarian-Americans renegotiate their identities to gain a sense of place in the United States. Aniko worked with the Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program (CCHAP) in 2016, conducting fieldwork in the Hungarian community. Dedicated to bettering the lives of refugees and immigrants internationally, Aniko serves as Employment Specialist Manager at IRIS CT (Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services) in New Haven.