Ranna Jajju, owner of Threading by Ranna in Linda Vista, is a former refugee from Iraq, who resettled to San Diego back in 2009. Since then, she has opened up two businesses and most recently shined as a stellar example as a small business leadership and resilience during a global pandemic.

Nearly two and half years after President Obama’s Executive Action offering the opportunity for minors from Central America to access the refugee resettlement program, Hilda Galvez, a Honduran native, cried joyfully as her five-year-old son, Ever, was escorted through the gate at Newark Airport near midnight on March 9, 2017.

One afternoon, a new client Abdul traveled with Carey Hobart, a volunteer from Bike Walk Wichita (BWW), to pick out bikes for he and his family. Along the way, Abdul began to describe his home in Afghanistan and the bicycle shop that he owned

Originally from Cote d'Ivoire, Adama arrived in the US less than six years ago. He attended the Refugee Youth Summer Academy (RYSA) and then enrolled into 9th grade at Brooklyn International High School. He and his mom participated in the Academic Coaching program, and a few years later, Adama became a "Leader in Training" - including working as a Peer Mentor at RYSA in 2014 and 2015. Meanwhile, he honed his artistry. When he graduated high school in 2015, he enrolled at the Borough of Manhattan Community College studying liberal arts, playing soccer, and painting. 

Word spread quickly through the small Arabic-speaking community in Missoula this spring that after an almost two year wait, the IRC would be resettling a family from Iraq. Thanks to our community for stepping up to welcome them.