Better understanding the refugee experience in Austin through After the Last Border

Ever experienced a book that upends the way you see the world? 

Recently, two St. Andrew’s students cracked open After the Last Border: Two Families and the Story of Refuge in America by Dr. Jessica Goudeau. A journalist by trade, Austin-based Goudeau wrote this book after spending more than a decade working with refugees in America. What Giulia Faini and Caroline Simmons read in Goudeau’s accounts of real life immigration experiences in their hometown of Austin, Texas, altered the way these two students viewed what it means to be a refugee in America today. 

“This book is crucial to understanding what refugees experience in their everyday lives, not just their grueling journeys to Austin, Texas,” said Caroline Simmons, St. Andrew’s senior. Simmons said that it was through reading the book that she was moved by the main characters’ immigration journey and impressed by how Goudeau connected recent immigration policies to their impacts on the refugees’ day-to-day lives.  

“This book reads like a realistic fiction novel, and the small anecdotal moments help readers relate to characters,” she said. “I appreciate that the comparative nature of the book proves that even though they live in the same city, every refugee’s experience is different, and Goudeau does not try to confine the characters’ experiences to a single perspective.” 

Simmons first encountered After the Last Border last winter in a St. Andrew’s student council called Actualizing Beloved Community. ABC’s mission is “to be the best version of ourselves, the best version of our communities”, which includes gaining insight into other perspectives and experiences, both in Austin and globally. Similarly, senior Giulia Faini was first exposed to the book through ABC, a group that she said helps her embrace  her Italian and American heritage, expand her knowledge of the world’s diversity, and foster cultural appreciation and understanding. 

“Reading After the Last Border last December, I was immediately taken by the stories of these women,” Faini said. “This is an exemplary book that encapsulates the highs and lows of immigration and portrays the true and raw feelings of the women's experiences. The background taking place in Austin also made the story much more personal, and allowed me to connect to the journey of these women.” 

This October, both Giulia Faini and Caroline Simmons will have the chance to learn more from Dr. Goudeau firsthand, in conversation alongside other St. Andrew’s leaders and community advocates. On Oct. 15, Faini, Simmons and editor and alumni parent, Sumaiya Malik,  will be interviewing Dr. Jessica Goudeau at St. Andrew’s Upper School in an evening that is open to the public.  

Learn more and join the conversation with St. Andrew’s students!

When: Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 7-8:30 pm 

Where: 5901 Southwest Pkwy at the Nazro-Lab Theatre

Who: Event is free and open to the public

Questions? Contact Kendall Evans at kevans@sasaustin.org

Giulia Faini ‘25 is a St. Andrew’s senior who loves to study Latin and science and is  an active member of the ABC Council. . She competes in the Junior Classical League at state and national levels, showcasing her passion for Latin and the classics. Behind the scenes, she applies her creativity to musical productions, building sets and designing costumes. 

Caroline Simmons ‘25 is also a St. Andrew’s senior who plays field hockey and basketball and enjoys being involved in the community as a Peer Mentor, Blue Key Ambassador, and Bridge Advisor. She enjoys spending time outdoors and cheering on peers at games. Caroline is an active member of ABC, where she first encountered Beyond the Last Border December 2023.

Kendall Evans is Co-Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging at St. Andrew’s and is the founder and faculty facilitator for the ABC Council. Kendall is also an educator at St. Andrew’s and maintains a presence in the classroom by teaching a philosophy elective in the humanities department and an anatomy/physiology class in the science department. 

Sumaiya Malik is a mainstream journalist and now editor as well as parent of recent St. Andrew’s alumni, Amil Malik '12 and Sameer Malik '16.

 

 

Jessica Goudeau is a journalist, professor, producer and advocate. Her first nonfiction book, After the Last Border: Two Families and the Story of Refuge in America, won the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize and a Christopher Award, was named a New York Times Editors’ Choice book, World Magazine’s “Understanding the World” Book of the Year, a Library Journal “Best Social Science Book of the Year,” and one of Chicago Public Library’s “Best Books of 2020.” It was a finalist for the Writer’s League of Texas Nonfiction Book Award, a finalist for the BookTube Prize, shortlisted for the Chautauqua Prize, and longlisted for the Reading the West Narrative Nonfiction Award. Read more about Jessica Goudeau.

 

Located in Austin, Texas, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School is a private co-ed elementary, middle and high school for grades K-12. Students benefit from dedicated faculty, a challenging academic program, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities and its mission is to develop exemplary scholars, artists, athletes and servants in a loving Episcopal community who are curious, courageous and compassionate global citizens. Learn more about St. Andrew’s Episcopal School.