Meet Thom Tran from Vietnam

Thom Tran In July 1980, Thom Tran and his family came to the United States as refugees from Vietnam when he was an infant. His father was a South Vietnamese Air Force pilot who escaped a POW camp. After Saigon fell, the Tran family made it to a refugee camp in Thailand. Soon after that, …
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Meet Anita Butera from Italy

  Anita Butera says she came to America by accident. In the 1990s, as a university student in Italy, she planned to travel to England to improve her English skills. An unexpected visit from an aunt wanting to visit the town where her parents were born changed that. She offered Butera a place to stay …
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Meet Nadin Yousef from Iraq

Nadin Yousef and her family endured life in Bagdad, Iraq, under American occupation. After the United States pulled out of her country, a civil war ensued, and it became too dangerous. “Civil war is bad; you don’t know who the enemy is or who will knock on your door in the middle of the night,” …
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Meet Rubens Mukunzi from Rwanda

When Rubens Mukunzi was a journalist in his home country of Rwanda, all was fine until officials wanted him to publish more favorable stories about the government in his newspaper, Oasis Gazette. They ignored his protests that it was not a journalist’s job to publish only good things about a government at its insistence. He …
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Being a Good Neighbor Starts with a Welcome!

  Welcoming Week is a national campaign and celebration to showcase communities that strive to “be more welcoming places for all, including immigrants.” Since Buffalo’s nickname is “The City of Good Neighbors,” our theme is Being a Good Neighbor Starts with a Welcome! Here are profiles of local foreign-born people describing their journeys and how …
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Joining the Workforce: IIB Job Club Members Learn New Skills

The International Institute of Buffalo’s Job Club helps New Americans roll up their sleeves to gain integral skills and knowledge to enter and navigate the job market quickly and successfully. Job Club is a 16-hour, comprehensive program offered through our New American Integration Department, where participants learn about the American workplace and how to succeed …
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IIB Dispels Myths About Immigrants and Refugees at Erie County Senior Services Lifelong Learning Program

This week IIB Director of International Exchanges and Education, May Shogan, presented the initial session at the Erie County Senior Services’ University Express lifetime learning program. The presentation focused on misconceptions regarding refugees, immigrants, and immigration. University Express offers free educational classes for older adults in Erie County. The program runs during the spring and …
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IIB Breaks the Fast with Community Leaders

Recently, Executive Director Jenny Rizzo-Choi and New American Integration Director Denise Beehag attended an invitation-only Ramadan Friendship Dinner at the Erie County Hall hosted by County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz and Judge Kevin M. Carter. This was the 13th such annual dinner organized by Buffalo United for Peace. A traditional Turkish dinner took place in …
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