Student Life is launching a monthly series that aims to showcase diverse local leaders making a significant impact on the St. Louis community. The purpose is to bring attention to their efforts in fostering positive change and to introduce the WashU community to various civic causes they could get involved in.

John Worth considers himself a “be the change” kind of person. A native St. Louisan, his resume is distinctive for its breadth, but also because it displays his unique commitment to helping people. Since 2019, he has served as the Volunteer Program Manager for the International Institute of St. Louis, where he works to better the lives of refugees in the St. Louis region. 

In 2023, Worth was brought onto the team at Washington University’s Gephardt Institute as a St. Louis Fellows Facilitator where he has worked with students to help mentor and shape them as future leaders. These roles, among his many others, exemplify his motto — Worth does not just wait for others to make change. 

He does it himself. 

John Worth next to the International Institute (Courtesy of Anika Chatterjee)

Worth graduated from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2018 with a degree in Criminal Justice. He knew that he wanted to pursue a career that he enjoyed, but he also sought to find one that would benefit others. Law enforcement seemed like the obvious fit because, in his words, “You’re helping people firsthand. You’re interacting with your community; you’re building relationships.” He dreamed of becoming a federal law-enforcement agent, and in 2019, he received the perfect job offer from the Drug Enforcement Agency. 

This offer, however, was conditional upon a passing score on their evaluation rubric. The medical portion of the exam includes a vision test — which, because of problems with color vision, Worth did not pass. This setback nearly broke him. After working towards this opportunity for years, he struggled to face the fact that something out of his control is “going to be the thing that eliminates [him] from doing what [he] thought [he] was supposed to do on this Earth.” But Worth didn’t allow himself to feel self-pity. Instead, he found a new avenue for making change. 

Worth had never considered himself someone interested in the world of politics, but after a formative conversation with his childhood best friend who worked on the Biden campaign, he decided to explore the world of political activism. He started working as a field organizer in Georgia, where he got his first taste of how politics can make a large difference in a community. 

Campaigning gave Worth the opportunity to form connections with community members and to “let people know that they have a voice and that it’s up to them to decide who they want to represent them.” And yet, the lack of job stability and long-term security in campaigning, which is primarily contract-based, exhausted him. He began to wonder what to do next. By the summer of 2021, Worth was wrapping up his work on the governor’s race in Virginia Beach. In August, the U.S. Department of Defense began a large-scale evacuation of U.S. and Afghan citizens from Afghanistan, following the fall of Kabul. When Worth learned of efforts to resettle evacuees in the U.S., he thought, “Man, I would love to help in any way that I can.” He began applying for positions with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and in November, he was called to work in Afghan resettlement at Fort Dix in New Jersey for “Operation Allies.” 

In this role, Worth worked very closely with the resettling families through cultural-orientation training. He became one of their primary points of contact in learning about U.S. culture, safety, and security. “I wanted to be able to take people’s burdens and pains and kind of put that on my own shoulders, as well as let them know that they’re not alone.” 

For Worth, this was a way of paying forward the support he received in his own childhood from several individuals in his community who sacrificed time and effort to help him during rough periods. His memories of these individuals motivate him to work with families that lack a robust and reliable support system.

Worth’s time at Fort Dix inspired a passion for working firsthand with refugees. Once his contract with the IRC ended, he began applying for permanent positions in refugee resettlement. In April 2022, he started a position as the Volunteer Coordinator of the International Institute in St. Louis (IISTL). The International Institute has established itself as a community hub that offers information and services for immigrants and refugees in the greater St. Louis area. The Institute seeks to ensure that these families can survive — as well as thrive — while they’re here. 

Worth particularly identifies with the International Institute’s goal of “welcoming these people and creating a home” for them in St. Louis. The federal government offers 90 days of resettlement support for refugees, but as Worth has learned, “It definitely takes way longer than that to get settled in and to feel like you’re a part of the community.” The International Institute offers services that fill the gaps in the federal government’s program, from job training and placement support to community-building and English classes.

In his role as Volunteer Coordinator, Worth has faced struggles in finding volunteers willing to help out with less-interesting tasks. However, the success he has garnered from his role has also been pivotal. The outpouring of support from the St. Louis community has left the IISTL with huge numbers of volunteers who span political differences. 

For him, the most fulfilling part of his job is the relationships he’s built. Worth speaks about feeling “gratitude, joy, and happiness from seeing other people happy.” Though his job can be exhausting and leave him burnt out at times, he finds himself “recharged by constantly seeing the personal impact” he has on individuals’ lives.

Worth wants WashU students to know that staying up-to-date is the first step in making a difference. A community’s needs are always changing, and the best thing one can do is to keep learning. He wants to remind people that contributing their time makes a difference in people’s lives, and even a few hours is better than nothing. But the most important thing you can do is be an advocate. Spreading the word about organizations like the International Institute and the work that they do helps bolster community support by encouraging donations, volunteers, and even political attention. And finally, Worth wants students to remember that “You always want to leave a place better than you found it.”