APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The U.S. is no stranger to refugees, and neither is Northeast Wisconsin.
The Fox Valley has welcomed 180 Afghan refugees since October.
Now, those refugees are navigating American culture.
Mohammad Azimy is an English language learner at Fox Valley Technical College.
His class presentation had him reminiscing over Afghanistan and how his life has changed in a short amount of time.
“Five months ago I was living in Kabul, and I was working as a dentist in a hospital, and everything was good, and nothing was bad,” said Azimy.
Azimy and some of his family were sent to the United States after the Taliban takeover.
“Beyond the resettlement, which we were faced with, we had other issues, like new societies, new environment, new language, new habits. We had lost everything,” said Azimy.
Instructor of English Language learning at FVTC Gillian Giles-Skelton says she’s doing her best to help students, like Azimy, adjust to the new environment.
“Even before the students form Afghanistan, we had people from the Congolese, the Hmong, former Yugoslavia,” said Giles-Skelton.
Giles-Skelton says leaning English is one big step in helping refugees assimilate into American culture.
“Some of those lower levels, we are just helping them survive, have that English, get a good job,” said Giles-Skelton.
“We know that many of them are taking jobs that they are overqualified for and they will have to start because they need to master the English language,” said Tami McLaughlin, director for World Relief Fox Valley.
She says more than 90 afghan refugees are enrolled and have transportation to English classes at no cost using grants.
“The refugee situation is not unique to Ukraine or Afghanistan, so, you know, we are possibly expecting 200 by the end of the year,” said McLaughlin.
McLaughlin says the goal is to give these current and future refugees the confidence to grow to their full potential.
Amizy knows his potential. He wants to use the English language program as a step to practice dental medicine again.
Fox Valley Tech also holds classes for refugees at locations in Oshkosh and the Appleton area.
