Highlighted from Hear Our Voices!

Oo Meh

. . . I take education seriously, not just to make my parents proud of me, but also to have a better future. Since my parents did not have the opportunity to go to school, I should follow what they say because they had the experience of not having an education. They always toiled in the field and brought food to me and to my siblings. Now they toil in a factory making barely enough money to support our family. –Oo Meh

Oo Meh: Intelligent; determined; silly. Karenni. Church of Christ. Speaks Karenni and English. Born in Karenni Refugee Camp #1, Mae Hong Son, Thailand on June 25, 2000.

Zaid Hayder Ali

I have faced difficulties in my life, such as death threats, finally being forced to leave my country. I had to leave my country for a reason that I have never accepted; my dad is still so ashamed to say that the people in the neighborhood where he lived didn’t accept him because of his religion. At an early age, I realized the importance of peace. –ZA

Zaid: Leader. Assiduous; kind; magnanimous. A Muslim who, surprisingly to some, believes in equality for all and is a feminist. Speaks Arabic and English. Born in Baqubah, Diyala, Iraq on March 15, 1999. Came to the United States with his family as a refugee on March 10, 2015.

Esteffany Hernandez

The more self-confident you become, the more risks you will be willing to take and so the more opportunities you will encounter. –EH

Esteffany: Sweet; joyful; diligent; focused. Christian. Speaks Spanish and English. Born in Usulutan, El Salvador on June 7, 1999.