Stories
How one volunteer goes above and beyond for his fellow immigrants
In 2009, Arrey Kelvin Bissong made the long journey from Cameroon to Atlanta, alone. He left behind his mother and father, his five siblings and his high school sweetheart in order to be able to provide a better life for his family.
The journey to immigrate to the U.S. was a long one, fraught with challenges, and, once here, those challenges didn’t stop. From going to the post office to going to the grocery store, even mundane tasks became new and different.
When he got home at night, he was alone with no family to talk to, no friends to console him. Today, his high school sweetheart, now his wife, has joined him in the U.S., and they have been blessed with two children. This past year, Arrey’s mother joined them as well, but his early days in America have had a profound impact on his life and that of others.
“It’s not easy to be lonely. You come home from work and there’s nobody to talk to, it’s painful,” Arrey said. “Some days I would cry to God ‘Why? Why can’t you bring my wife here?’ You see people in the church, but it’s not the same.”
His first-hand experience with the loneliness and isolation that accompany an immigrant’s arrival in the U.S. are what drew him to give back to others in situations like his, and, when he heard about World Relief Memphis during a church sermon one day, he felt God’s call to get involved.
“While I was in church, I found out that World Relief helps refugees come to America, and I said ‘Wow, this is me,’” he explained. “I’m not a refugee, but it’s almost my story, so if I’m able to help other Africans who may not know how to speak English like myself, who may not have any background, any education—why not?”
Yet it wasn’t at this moment that Arrey became involved with World Relief, for God had a different plan for him. Rather, it was a few years later when he was going door to door in hope of sharing the Gospel with others that he met Ruth, a Congolese woman pregnant with twins who had been separated from her husband during the immigration process.
Ruth had arrived in Memphis in 2016 with her mother, sister and brother. Since she had filed her paperwork before her marriage, however, she was separated from her husband when it came time to leave the refugee camp. During the medical examinations that are conducted before immigration, she found out that she was pregnant with twins.
When she arrived, World Relief helped her and her family begin to get settled into their new life. It was Arrey, however, who took them under his wing and welcomed them.
“I was drawn to invite more people to the church, not just to promote the church, but because it was what Christ asked us to do and when he was living, he commissioned the disciples to win more souls,” said Arrey, who is an active member in his church. “Every weekend, we would go out to evangelize, and that’s how we were sent to the apartment where they were.”
Ruth and her family were thrilled to meet to meet a fellow immigrant from Africa, and they eagerly accepted Arrey’s invitation to come to his church. From there, their friendship began to blossom. He soon learned that she was pregnant with twins, and the church became aware of her refugee status.
“She said that they were in a refugee camp for almost two years because they were escaping war in their country, and she said her husband and siblings were still back home,” Arrey said. “Cameroon had never had any wars, and I had never been in a situation like that, so I was drawn by the story.”
Nurses, doctors and police officers at his church all began helping Ruth as if she were family. Because she had no car, they took turns driving her to doctor appointments and her English classes with World Relief.
“We made a schedule, and I was the main guy because I was still working night shifts,” said Arrey, who is now a police officer. “I scheduled myself for mornings so that I could take her to her appointments, and one of my church members who does not work in the afternoons was taking her back home.”
At times, even the pastor’s wife was helping as well. Through one person, a community had arisen around this young woman who volunteered to take care of her when her husband was thousands of miles away as she prepared to give birth.
When her children were born, Arrey was there to welcome them into the world.
“The doctors even told me ‘Dad, congratulations!’” Arrey said with a laugh. “I told them I was not the dad, that he was in Africa, and they couldn’t believe it.”
Because of his help, Ruth named her children after Arrey, Kelvin and Kelvine. To this day, he still has the photo from the day the babies were born.
From there, Arrey worked with Ruth and World Relief Memphis to file the proper paperwork to ensure that Ruth’s husband, Dieudonne, could come to Memphis as quickly as possible. He became an official WRM volunteer, welcoming other refugees to Memphis as one of our Good Neighbor Teams.
At the same time, he continued helping Ruth and her family and visited them weekly. When Dieudonne arrived, Arrey rushed to welcome him, taking him on a “Boys Night Out,” to show him the city: where to buy groceries, where to find African food, etc.
Today, Arrey is “like a big brother to him. Anytime he’s making a big decision, like taking a job, he would ask my opinion.” When it came time to buy a car, he helped Dieudonne learn to drive and eventually choose one.
He’s continued to welcome other refugee families alongside World Relief so that they will not have to experience the same loneliness that he did. Four families have come and gone, but Ruth and Dieudonne remain the exception, and they’re still close to this day.
“My story is what drew me to them, and it was heartbreaking to see a young girl separated from her husband with two children, and how difficult it was,” Arrey said. “God works in mysterious ways, and I’m always willing to help in any way I can.”
We cannot thank Arrey enough for coming alongside us and the refugee community to welcome them to Memphis, empowering them to build a new life for themselves. Our work only goes so far, and the help of our incredible volunteers is what truly makes a difference in the lives of these men and women and helps them to build a home.
If you want to get involved like Arrey, whether it’s on a Good Neighbor Team or as a conversation partner or a youth mentor, get started today by filling out your application. Along the way, you just might make a new friend or two, and we promise that you will be making a difference in the lives of our new neighbors.
Volunteer Spotlight: Café English
When Ed Thompson took a business trip to France nearly five years ago, he didn’t think it would have such a profound impact on his life today. But this one experience of speaking a foreign language in a country that is not your own is in fact what spurred him on to become a volunteer at the Connect Language Center’s Café English.
“What very little French I knew, I was scared to death to try because I was afraid they either wouldn’t understand me or I would just botch it up so much,” Ed explained. “I only had to do that for 8 or 10 days, and these folks are here, and they have to do it day in and day out.”
With that thought in mind, Ed signed up to volunteer with World Relief Memphis after hearing a colleague talk about the organization. For months prior to that, immigration had been a hot topic in the U.S., and, after having multiple discussions with colleagues and friends about it, he decided to take the leap and turn words into actions.
“If you read so much Scripture, you see the widow, the orphan, and then you see the foreigner attached to that. So much of what God instructed Israel to do was to take care of those groups,” said Ed, a member of Crossroads Baptist Church. “As far as we are to treat them, we are to walk justly and to seek mercy.”
Ed remembers reading articles written by prominent theologians Russell Moore and Bruce Ashford about immigration, and these pieces in combination with other resources such as the book Welcoming the Stranger are also what encouraged him to take the leap.
“It was just more of a conviction for me, and the legal issue was really, to me, moot,” he said. “God gave His Word. Legal and illegal immigrants didn’t exist, there was no differentiation, and in so much of this, people seem to be more concerned about the laws than the actual how we’re treating these folks.”
Because of this, Ed decided to get involved in whatever way he could, even if it was only for an hour a week. Having experienced what it was like to try to speak another language and simply receiving a nod in return, he knew he could provide more than that for those looking to build a life in America.
“Depending on the level, the ones that weren’t quite as advanced were usually a lot more hesitant to talk,” Ed said. “The biggest challenge is encouraging them to go ahead, to try to speak. If any of the students are like me, I learn much better through trial and error and actually trying to do something than just looking at a book.”
Even if getting some students to speak was a challenge, it presented a learning opportunity for not only the student, but also for Ed and other Café English volunteers.
One time, a Hindu student had mentioned that her favorite American food was a burger. Knowing that Hindus had a special relationship with beef products, however, Ed decided to dig a little deeper. What he discovered was that she was referring to a Chick-fil-a chicken sandwich. Although it comes on a bun, he explained, we don’t call it a burger because a burger implies beef.
Laughing, Ed said that’s why they were there to help: “If you mess up, we’re here to explain that and tell you, ‘Yes, English does this stupid thing. You would think it would be this way, but it’s not.’”
In fact, one of the biggest challenges for Ed personally was rewiring his own way of speaking so that those just starting to learn English would be able to understand.
“The biggest challenge was learning how to not talk English the way we do it every day because you use so many idioms,” said Ed, who now works from home for Fedex. “I would catch myself phrasing something a certain way that I knew they didn’t know what I was talking about.”
Despite these little challenges, however, Café English and its participants grew on Ed, and he faithfully volunteered there for a year until the pandemic hit. Even then, he was one of the few volunteers who stayed, helping to take the program online for the remainder of the semester.
For three weeks, he and two others helped keep the program running online. Yet because it was during the day, few students could make it to these new times. When the semester ended, so did Café English for the time being.
Even though it couldn’t continue, Ed and his wife still plan on partnering with World Relief and the Connect Language Center in the future to help make a home for our new neighbors in Memphis.
“There’s a big need for the English help that World Relief is providing. There’s a lot of people that probably don’t realize that, through something like Café English, they could make a contribution to help these folks adjust to life here,” Ed concluded. “I enjoyed meeting people from different parts of the world and hearing their stories, and I thought it was just as much a Christian response to show up and say ‘I want to show you some love and say you’re welcome here, and I’m willing to help in whatever way I can.’”
If you, like Ed, would like to help others improve their English and get acclimated to life in the Mid-South, start filling out your volunteer application today. If you want to improve your own English like others did through the café, sign up for a class at the Connect Language Center.
Bailey Clark serves as the Communications Coordinator for World Relief Memphis. With a background in journalism and advertising, she is passionate about storytelling and its power to make a difference.
The Path to Citizenship
Volunteer Autumn Gross does a little bit of everything.
Throughout her seven and a half years at World Relief Quad Cities, Autumn has done grocery shopping, transporting clients to appointments, teaching English, helping in the office, setting up appointments and translating, as she’s fluent in Spanish.
Right now, she helps coordinate their monthly food pantry.
“It’s just really rewarding to be able to be involved with so many cultures without leaving the QC,” Autumn said. “Just being able to meet so many new people and give them that support that they need.”
For the immigrants and refugees that are involved with World Relief, that support means everything.
Autumn said that the most memorable thing about her almost eight years at World Relief is watching people adapt to the culture and eventually gain citizenship. She loves getting to know them for years while they work up to it, and when they finally succeed, it’s a feeling of triumph.
One woman in particular Autumn had a relationship with, but she moved out of the Quad Cities. Despite the distance, Autumn said one day the same woman messaged her on Facebook, excited because she got her citizenship. Autumn said it made her so happy to hear her achieve her goal after everything she went through to be in this country, and she is thankful for how World Relief gives people the support they need.
“I just think World Relief is really cool because it’s a family,” Autumn said.
Written by Olivia Doak
Compassion, Consideration, and Social Justice
Dr. Chris Strunk is a Professor of Geography at Augustana College, and this spring he decided to create a partnership with World Relief Quad Cities and his Geography of Human Issues course. Students in his class offer virtual tutoring help to World Relief families.
Chris’s students have expressed such positive remarks about this partnership. With Covid-safe limitations on in-person classes, the Geography class has adapted to function at half-capacity.
Students will alternate which days they attend lecture. On the days they are not attending, students log-in to provide homework help and play online games with many different kids connected to World Relief.
Chris has always been passionate to tackle barriers of social injustice. From an early age, he has been inspired by his mother in everything he does. As a kid, he saw her volunteer a majority of her time at a public library, as well as lend resources to local immigrant communities.
Because he was able to see the impact of his mothers actions for so long, he chooses to expose his students to programs, such as World Relief, which actively seek to provide resources to those in need.
The main mission of Chris’s partnership with World Relief is to introduce college students to the rich and diverse immigrant and refugee community in the Quad Cities. In doing so, he wishes to teach his students the same manners of compassion, consideration, and drive for social justice that his mother was able to teach him.
Written by Olivia Smith
Volunteer Appreciation: A Lifetime of Friendship
When Donald and Joyce Halterman first learned about WRQC’s mission through their church in July of 2019, they felt compelled to step forward. They never expected such a simple act of faith to wholly reshape their lives.
“We’ve always wanted to serve the Lord in whatever way he would have us serve, and we felt that this was something we could both do together,” Donald said.
They began volunteering in client transportation. When they weren’t delivering clothing, groceries, or food baskets to local refugee families, they would bring clients to medical appointments, sometimes travelling as far away as Rockford. But just as soon as the Haltermans found themselves completely dedicated, the pandemic hit. The new restrictions would derail many of their endeavors.
Yet their determination remained intact. When they were introduced to WRQC’s first-ever Cultural Partner Team (CPT) program in the summer of 2020, they were the first to volunteer. Their journey – their calling – wasn’t over. It was about to take on new meaning.
Donald and Joyce were paired with a family of four who had recently been resettled in the Quad Cities from the Democratic Republic of Congo: Alimasi Lumenge, his wife Faila Kamlete, and their sons Sadiki Alimasi and Kamlete Alimasi. The Haltermans would meet the Alimasi family on a weekly basis for the next six months to teach them about American culture and guide them toward self-sufficiency.
“The Alimasi family was very shy, but they were a very warm and close-knit family. We felt comfortable and received from the very beginning,” Donald recalled.
“When we saw them the first afternoon, we took a group picture and had that framed. They had no pictures of their walls of anything. When we gave them a colored picture and copies to share with their friends and family, they were so excited and so happy,” Joyce added.
Each meeting brought a new lesson to the table for both parties. As the Alimasi family learned about bus transportation, paying bills, budgeting, and safety, Donald and Joyce learned about the Alimasis’ culture and became accustomed to new technologies like Zoom and What’s App. One specific incident at the DMV, however, impacted the Haltermans’ understanding of just how much the Alimasi family had to teach them in return.
“It was a three-and-a-half-hour process in which we were made to stay outside in the rain while we waited in a long line that moved very slowly. As we stood there waiting to get the husband and his oldest son ID cards, they seemed to be very unaffected by it,” Donald said.
Later, Alimasi Lumenge sent Donald a text describing his excitement. Donald couldn’t help but share in the enthusiasm.The Alimasis quickly grew comfortable with the Haltermans’ company and began to share their needs – one being bicycles. Both sons’ bicycles were broken. When Donald and Joyce discovered that one of the Alimasi sons had to walk 12 blocks uphill to get to school every day, they knew they had to act.
They were initially given a repair estimate of $200 per bicycle, but within just six hours, they found a listing for two “practically brand-new” 16-speed mountain bikes on Craigslist for a fraction of the repair cost. Much to their surprise, the seller’s parents had adopted a child through World Relief, resulting in a hefty discount for the pair of bikes. Donald and Joyce could purchase both for just $100.
They resolved to contact their Missions Director to see what their church could do, but their plan was disrupted by what can only be called a miracle. Imagine their astonishment when they learned that the seller’s family decided to donate their bikes to the Alimasi sons. The exhaustion of a lengthy trek to school each day was about to become a thing of the past.
The boys’ eyes were filled with light, a moment frozen in time by the photos taken that day.
“It was a Holy Spirit experience,” Donald said. “We recognize when the Spirit is leading us,” Joyce agreed.
Both parties had expected little more than a client-volunteer relationship. But through guidance, laughter, and prayer, a beautiful friendship blossomed. Now, the Haltermans and the Alimasis break bread often, pray, and talk with one another via phone and text.
“They needed a friendship the most to help them get through a lot of difficulties, and we became friends with them . . . we’re enlightened by them and the great smiles on their faces,” Donald said.
With Donald and Joyce’s kindness, not only are the Alimasis becoming self-sufficient, but are beginning to feel “at home.” They’ve made many other friends at their church and look forward to coming to church with the Haltermans when they know a little more English. And in February of 2021, they reunited with their eldest son Asukulu, whose immigration case had been delayed since 2020. Their family had been made whole again.
Despite pandemic restrictions, both families anticipate a future filled with palpable love and companionship.
“We envision a lifetime of friendship. We were told we would be their partners for six months, but we could never walk away from this family,” Joyce concluded.
The story of two families uniting to learn from one another and creating transformative change on both sides is an invigorating example of the power of togetherness. Whether quietly cultivated or sudden, God’s joy will always find a way through.
For more information about our CPT Program, contact Julie Hornbuckle at jhornbuckle@wr.org. Or, click on “Get Involved” to submit a volunteer application.
On the Basis that You Can Give
Meghan Arshad celebrated the end of her six-month commitment through World Relief’s Cultural Partnership Team (CPT) program on Saturday, March 13th.
With the help of her husband, father-in-law, and 2 year old daughter, she has been working with the Po Eh Doh family to help transition to life in the Quad Cities. Before arriving in the Quad Cities, Po and his wife, along with their three children, lived in a refugee camp in Burma for 15 years.
While there are many ways to volunteer with World Relief, Meghan enjoys working with families directly because she’s able to see an immediate impact. During the Christmas season, Meghan and her family brought over a Christmas tree, presents and a cake. Unknown to them, it was also the eldest daughter’s birthday. With the pandemic and other hurdles in mind, the three kids have struggled to adjust to American schools and make friends.
Meghan is so touched that such a small gesture of kindness could impact an entire family so deeply.
After spending multiple days a week together for six months, Meghan and her family have developed a close and trusted friendship with the Po Eh Doh family. They plan on continuing to work with the family even beyond their six months together, and hope to be partnered with another family in the future.
Meghan’s advice to anyone seeking to volunteer with World Relief is to “volunteer on the basis that you can give.” She recommends everyone try a few volunteer opportunities until finding one that fits best.
For more information about our CPT Program, contact Julie Hornbuckle at jhornbuckle@wr.org. Or, click on “Get Involved” to submit a volunteer application.
Written by Olivia Smith
Sharing Culture and Experiences Through Volunteering
Susan Llewellyn said one of the first things she learned while volunteering for World Relief was about rice.
She started at World Relief shopping as a volunteer and got to know immigrant and refugee families where rice is a staple. Through that experience, she’s learned many different recipes and uses for rice, as well as the importance of it as a staple in many cultures.
Susan has been a volunteer at World Relief Quad Cities for 2 and a half years. In addition to grocery shopping for families, Susan has also met new arrivals at the airport to welcome them to the United States. She enjoys helping with fundraising events at World Relief, and she found she loves getting to know the people she helps.
“I appreciate sharing culture, that really means a lot to me,” Susan said.
Currently, Susan is teaching a citizenship class that she says she enjoys most of all. She helps those that are seeking U.S citizenship by teaching material on the citizenship test and helping them study so that they’re ready for the exam. Constitution, geography, history and government are all areas covered, and it’s a 10-week class that meets once a week. But her favorite part is getting to know her students over the course of the 10 week class.
“Just working with them on a one-on-one basis, it helps me get to know them and understand their struggles,” Susan said.
Her students also provide her with a deeper understanding of issues that are happening in the rest of the world, something she said she really values. For example, two of her students are from Myanmar, a place currently in turmoil and experiencing a coup.
That mutually beneficial relationship between how she helps her students and how they give back to her is what Susan finds so enjoyable about volunteering for World Relief.
“It’s a feeling of satisfaction of helping someone and a knowledge that I get to understand more about the circumstances in the world,” Susan said.
Susan admires the bravery and strength immigrants and refugees have to leave their homes and families to start a new life in a new culture and is thankful World Relief is here to provide help.
“I’ve gained an understanding of the great value of an organization like World Relief,” Susan said. “I don’t know what some of these immigrants and refugees would do if they came here without some kind of support system to help them.”
Written by Olivia Doak
Overcoming Food Insecurity
Quad City native Shirley Johnson enjoys going on hikes and bike rides outside, even stopping along her way to pick up litter and trash she sees scattered around the ground.
While she contributes to the community in small ways like that, she also gives back as an active volunteer at World Relief Quad Cities.
Shirley Johnson has been a volunteer at World Relief for a year. She found out about the organization through her church, and she enjoys helping out at the beginning of every month with the food pantry for World Relief.
The first Monday and Friday of each month Shirley comes in and helps unload and organize the food so it’s ready to give out. Typically, Shirley said they serve 70-80 families.
While her time commitment to World Relief is relatively low, Shirley said she loves the organization and helping in any way she can with the time commitment she gives.
“It’s fun meeting the other volunteers and staff members, they are all very upbeat and very enthusiastic about what they do and it’s a contagious feeling,” Shirley said. “It’s just a win-win for clients and the people who work there.”
Shirley said since she retired, she’s found her niche in food pantry volunteering. In addition to her work at World Relief, she also helps at Rocky high school and the River Bend food bank.
The time she gives is to help provide food for those that need it, especially at World Relief. “Food security is one of multiple challenges that people face when coming to this country,” Shirley said.
But at World Relief, Shirley said that she’s also gained something for herself, and that’s an appreciation for the challenges that families immigrating to this country face.
“I’m just impressed by all these families and how brave they are…to come to another country and not know the language with a completely different daily life,” Shirley said. “I’m just in awe of these families.”
Shirley, we are in awe of you. Thank you for all you do!
Written by Olivia Doak
Family traditions inspire spring intern, Ibssa
Ibssa may have only been interning with World Relief Memphis for a month now, but he can already see the difference that the experience has had on his life.
Part of an immigrant family himself, Ibssa began his internship hoping to gain “first-hand experience with people in such situations outside of just [his] own family . . . This is a bit more in-depth because you have more types of circumstances to work with.”
At 21-years-old, Ibssa has grown up in Memphis, but his family comes from a long line of “influencers,” as he would say, in Ethiopia. His uncle is a famous musician, and his great-grandfather once traded with the king himself when the monarchy was still in place.
With a family history such as his, it’s only natural that Ibssa wants to one day be the best in his field as a clinical psychologist. However, he wants to go one step further by serving other immigrants as well.
“My interest has always been wanting to work with immigrants and different people who come, and [those] who come through trauma related reasons,” said Ibssa, a senior at Christian Brothers University. “A lot of people who do come here come usually do to very difficult events or dangerous situations.”
And at World Relief Memphis, Ibssa is getting his first glimpse of what that could be like by serving in our Integration Services Department, helping contact program participants and assisting them in setting up their new life in the U.S.
“It’s going to be something that will vary each week,” Ibssa explains. “It’s helping them get whatever they need and keeping up with their plans or their goals, and just basically facilitate that process so that they get exactly what they need and where they need to be, and feel motivated in their own right.”
As someone who has learned multiple languages himself, Ibssa understands what it can be like to communicate in a language that’s not your own, and he’s enjoyed helping program participants in any way he can. But, they’ve also influenced him as well.
“I first met a Swahili client this Wednesday, and I just fell in love with the way that language sounded,” said Ibssa, who currently speaks English, Spanish and Oromo. “It was just so beautiful to me, and I was like I have to learn this.”
By adding Swahili to his list, Ibssa will be one step closer to becoming a polyglot, and one step closer to opening his practice that will one day serve other immigrants in the community, just as World Relief does.
Having grown up with Ethiopian and American traditions, Ibssa is no stranger to balancing two cultures, just like many of our refugee families do now. That, in itself, is in part what drew him to World Relief. And as future interns begin arriving this summer, Ibssa urges them to be open minded. If you do, he says, you will have so much to gain.
“You can learn so much from different people. Your eyes will open to just how expansive culture, language, experiences and though processes can be,” Ibssa says. “Just how resilient some people are who come from maybe hard situations. It’s just the fact that people can connect no matter where you’re from.”
Perhaps one day, Ibssa’s name will be known for his work with immigrants, just like his great-grandfather’s and his uncle’s names were celebrated before him. Yet for now, we are thrilled to have him working with us in Memphis this semester as he finishes his undergraduate degree.
“Come and be open-minded,” Ibssa says. “You’ll be so surprised by what you see.”
If you’re looking for a summer internship, we are currently accepting applications! Apply here, and we’ll be in touch with you for any additional information or interviews. If you are not looking to intern but still want to get involved, check out the volunteer opportunities we have available.
Bailey Clark serves as the Communications Coordinator for World Relief Memphis. With a background in journalism and advertising, she is passionate about storytelling and its power to make a difference.
Black History Month: Inspiration and Hope
As part of Black History Month, we’ve asked a few of the youth in the refugee community to tell us their experience learning about it. At World Relief, we work to honor and include all cultures and heritage, and celebrating Black history is just one way to do so. The last in a series of three, Mary Makuta tells us about her own inspirations within the Black community.
Food. Cooking. Hairstyles. Make-up. Technology. Transportation. The list could go on. When Mary Makuta first arrived in Memphis, everything seemed foreign to her.
Over time, however, she’s adapted, and the high school senior is now thriving in her new home. In June, she will be graduating from Central High School ahead of schedule. In just four years, she will have gone from seventh grade to graduation, and it’s all thanks to her hard work and determination.
When I spoke to Mary, she was on her way home from studying to go attend night classes. In order to graduate early, she takes double the normal class load, and she works part-time on the side as well.
Despite all her engagements, Mary still took the time to sit down and speak with me about Black History Month. In every country she’s lived in—the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Namibia and the U.S.—she has always learned about history and found it important.
“What happened years ago, we can learn from it and not let it happen a second time,” said Mary, now 18. “People did many things for our country so that it can be better in the future.”
In particular, she remembers the prominent civil rights leaders of the 1960s. To her, they were “being brave for others. Even though they were scared, they did not give up.”
Their perseverance, alongside other prominent African American figures, are in part what inspire her today. Mary one day plans to be a prominent businesswoman, working in the real estate and transportation businesses.
Because for her, anything is possible now. The Obamas and others have proven that in recent years, and the brave work of civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks helped pave the way.
“Kamala Harris, she said that every girl can one day be like her,” Mary told me at the end of our time together.
With that thought in mind, Mary has set her sights high, but we have no doubt she will succeed as she already has in balancing school, work and family life in a new country. And although she may miss her home in the Democratic Republic of Congo, we have no doubt that she will have a profound impact in her new community of Memphis.
Bailey Clark serves as the Communications Coordinator for World Relief Memphis. With a background in journalism and advertising, she is passionate about storytelling and its power to make a difference.