(Track 1) .04
When you think about how a refugee comes to America, no story is the same.
(Track 2) .06
Ever felt like you’re the only one amongst a crowd of people? Farhiya Omar knows that feeling all too well.
(Track 3) .07
She was a Somali refugee that left Africa at 13 years old, flying on 5 planes to eventually land in Syracuse, New York.
{*** SOT FULL 1***}
(CG:Farhiya Omar, Somali Refugee)
[TAKE SOT
INCUE:It’s a culture
OUTCUE: I will say
DURATION:0’03”]
(“It’s a culture shock. That’s what I will say.”)
(Track 4) .03
Her transition didn’t come without struggle.
{*** SOT FULL 2***}
(CG: Farhiya Omar)
[TAKE SOT
INCUE:I did not
OUTCUE:To the bathroom
DURATION:0’18”]
(“I did not know how to speak English. Read or write. First they took me to high school. They start me with high school. The high school that I went to called Nottingham High School, with no English. Like when I say no English, I mean no English at all. I didn’t know how to say can I go to the bathroom.”)
{*** STAND UP***}
(CG: Alexandria Bennett, NCC News)
[TAKE SOT
INCUE:Imagine not being
OUTCUE:To change that
DURATION:0’12”]
(“Imagine not being able to say can I go to the bathroom. It’s something that may or may not have come easy to a U.S. citizen, but that’s never been the case for refugees. Farhiya is working to change that.”)
(Track 5) .12
Farhiya manages Human Resources at Empower Interpretation Services, and also helps with interpretation. Here she’s helping a student prepare to take a test to become a United States Citizen.
{*** SOT FULL 3***}
(CG: Farhiya Omar)
[TAKE SOT
INCUE:We the one
OUTCUE:Front of you
DURATION:0’06”]
(“We the one who struggle. We the one who faces all the struggles of not having a translator in front of you.”)
(Track 6)
Farhiya says she loves to help people. She’s focused on providing what wasn’t available to her.
{*** SOT FULL 4***}
(CG: Jan-Juba Arway, South Sudan Refugee)
[TAKE SOT
INCUE:It wasn’t fun
OUTCUE:Get it together
DURATION:0’13”]
(“It wasn’t fun. It wasn’t fun at all because when we came here, the resettlement agency only gives you 3 months to get it together.”)
(Track 7) .08
Jan-Juba Arway is a South Sudan refugee who came to America in 2004. When she arrived, she was 16, married and had a 6 month old daughter.
(Track 8) .12
Jan-Juba is a single mom with four children, and is working toward a master’s degree in Public Relations from Syracuse University. She wants to become a lawyer to advocate for families and criminal justice.
(Track 9) .06
Although Jan-Juba faced many trials, she never let it deter her from achieving an education.
(Track 10) .02
And maintaining her independence.
{*** SOT FULL 5***}
(CG: Jan-Juba Arway)
[TAKE SOT
INCUE:I can take
OUTCUE:Have to struggle
DURATION:0’06”]
(“I can take over anytime and I can take care of me and my kids and I don’t have to struggle.”)
(Track 11) .02
But she’s also working hard for…
{*** SOT FULL 6***}
(CG: Jan-Juba Arway)
[TAKE SOT
INCUE:Refugees suffering in
OUTCUE:That there’s resources
DURATION:0’06”]
(“Refugees suffering in silence. They don’t know that there’s resources.”)
(Track 12) .04
There’s a lot happening around them that they never saw coming.
{*** SOT FULL 7***}
(CG: Jan-Juba Arway)
[TAKE SOT
INCUE:They get dropped
OUTCUE:On your own
DURATION:0’10”]
(“They get dropped off like the same thing that happened to me. You get dropped off for 3 months, and then you’re on your own.”)
(Track 13) .07
Jan-Juba saw a problem that needed to be solved in the Syracuse refugee community and wanted to be a part of the solution.
{*** SOT FULL 8***}
(CG: Jan-Juba Arway)
[TAKE SOT
INCUE:When they see
OUTCUE:Trust us more
DURATION:0’12”]
(“When they see someone like me or Khadija, they can relate because we’ve been refugees before. We know the transition can be tough so we are here to help you so they trust us more.”)
(Track 14) .09
Trust is the key that makes this work. Refguee children need to learn English, but they also want to be confident while growing up in an unfamiliar place.
(Track 15) .06
Farhiya is asked questions in Somali and Arabic, but after just 4 years, she can answer them in English too.
{*** SOT FULL 9***}
(CG: Farhiya Omar)
[TAKE SOT
INCUE:Hopefully they will
OUTCUE:For them too
DURATION:0’09”]
(“Hopefully they will come and seek the help that they would love and we’ll be sure we’re gonna be there for them too.”)
(Track 16) .09
So what if you’re a refugee on a college campus like Jan-Juba or care to learn more about the community? A New Refugee Studies Program is coming to Falk College.
(Track 17) .06
It will focus on the Global Encounter in Syracuse and how the refugee experience impacts those near and far.
(Track 18) .08
Syracuse University Lutheran Chaplain Gail Riina says being involved in the refugee community gives a better exploration of the world.
.
{*** SOT FULL 10***}
(CG: Gail Riina)
[TAKE SOT
INCUE:They will be
OUTCUE:About themselves
DURATION:0’07”]
(“They will be so enriched by the cultural experience that they will have and they will learn a lot about themselves.”)
(Track 19) .02
And in case you didn’t know.
{*** SOT FULL 11***}
(CG: Gail Riina)
[TAKE SOT
INCUE:Unlike Americans growing
OUTCUE:If not more
DURATION:0’11”]
(“Unlike Americans growing up, most people from other countries know at least two languages if not more.”)
(Track 20) .08
It’s not always easy to learn numerous languages, but as both Farhiya and Jan-Juba have proven, it’s always worth the challenge.
“I’m Alexandria Bennett reporting for N-C-C News.”
