Immigrant Stories

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Rohullah, From Afghanistan

Rohulla, a refugee from Afghanistan, had been a nurse, but could not get his credentials out of that war-torn country. So in the U.S., he went back to school while working full-time and raising a family. He said that he was exhausted and almost ready to quit, and that was when IPC’s grant came through to pay for his coursework. Today he’s a fully qualified BSN, practicing his nursing skills in Denver.

You can hear a video Rohullah made on our Immigrant Pathways Colorado YouTube Channel (Sahil’s story).

Immigrant Pathways Colorado Helps Ethiopian Doctor Complete Her Training

“It has taken me so long to get to this turning point in my life,” says Kedija Hedara, an Ethiopian doctor who received a grant from Immigrant Pathways Colorado.

Kedija completed medical school and practiced as a general physician in Ethiopia before coming to the U.S. in 2011 with her husband and son. The time, effort and money she and her husband invested in training for the exams paid off in five invitations to interview for hospital residencies. The problem was that these hospitals were in five different locations in the U.S., and Kedija had no money to pay for the plane fare and hotel stays necessary to interview for these positions. This is where Immigrant Pathways Colorado entered the picture by granting Kadija the funds to help her reach her goal. Today, Kedija is a fully qualified physician practicing in Chicago.

“Thank you for your program and the effort you put in to help desperate people like me to stay legal in this country and be able to prosper and establish themselves as individuals and hopefully a citizen in the future.”

~ Kadija

Ola, From Iraq

Ola is a refugee from Iraq. Her father lost a limb in the war there, and her goal has been to help others who need prostheses. With support from loving donors, IPC was able to give her a grant so she could finish her studies in Biomechanical Engineering at the University of Denver.

Ma, From Thailand

With help from IPC, Ma was able to apply for citizenship. A refugee from Thailand, Ma is ethnically Burmese and was born in a refugee camp. She works a difficult and dangerous job, and says being a citizen will help her feel safer in the U.S.

Merdad, From Iran

Merdad is an Iranian refugee who holds a computer science degree from the Philippines, a degree that was not recognized in the U.S. Since arriving here, he had been working at a technology job, but it paid very poorly. He enrolled in a technology school seeking a degree in cyber security. IPC gave him a grant him to finish the last course to earn his degree.

Sadiya, From Ethiopia

Sadiya, a refugee from Ethiopia, came to the U.S. in her teens to join her mother, who came earlier as an asylee. Sadiya is part of the Oromo people, who have been historically discriminated against in Ethiopia. Having overcome major obstacles to enter the U.S., Sadiya is studying civil engineering at Metro State University. A grant from IPC is helping her with college tuition.

Tenzin, From Nepal

Tenzin, a refugee from Nepal, is enrolled in courses at Emily Griffith Technical College. Tenzin received a grant from IPC to study auto repair, which has always been his dream. Tenzin supports three other family members in addition to himself.

Oksana, From Ukraine

Oksana is a refugee from Ukraine. She was a paralegal there, holding degrees from both the Ukriane and the European Union. She received a grant from IPC to study business administration so that she can support herself and her 12-year-old daughter. She says, “We are here because of the war [in Ukraine]. We want to work like everyone else and we are trying to build a future again.”

Sayed-Turab, From Afghanistan

Sayed-Turab, an asylee who was a practicing physician in Afghanistan, cannot practice in the U.S. without further training. He received a grant from IPC to take medical interpreter classes as a first step back into the medical field. Sayed-Turab supports a wife and four children.

Isolier, From Cuba

Isolier, a refugee from Cuba, worked as a lawyer there but her credentials are not recognized in the U.S. She is taking courses to become a paralegal to help support her family of eight. IPC provided her with a grant to help with tuition for her paralegal course.

Eunice, From Ghana

Eunice from Ghana is a Certified Nurse Practitioner and the sole support of her mother and two young sons. She works on weekends and takes classes during the week at Emily Griffith Technical College, where she is studying to become a Licensed Practical Nurse. A grant from IPC helped pay for books and tuition for her final semester in the program.

Eunice says, “I love helping people and want people to feel that they are not alone. We will all get sick one day. It can happen to anybody. I want to be there for the people who need help as an LPN.”

Juan, From Venezuela

Juan from Venezuela is an asylee supporting a family of six. He and his wife both work, but money is tight.

Juan was a mechanical engineer in Venezuela, but his degree was not recognized here. A grant from IPC is helping him attend CADBIM (computer aided design and building information modeling) classes at Emily Griffith Technical College. Juan’s dream is to design fire safety sprinkler systems in buildings.

Admire and Arian, From The Republic of Kosovo

Admire and Arian are from the Republic of Kosovo. Admire has a Ph.D. in Physical Education from Kosovo, but needed a grant to have her degrees evaluated so that she can work as a PE instructor in a Colorado school.

Arian had an impressive career in law in Kosovo, but must have his law degree evaluated in the U.S. Once his degree is approved here, he hopes to get a better-paying job so he can start saving money and go to law school.

These are two people with amazing potential, and IPC is happy to help them take their first steps toward working as professionals again.

Catherine, From Tanzania

Catherine was a physician in Tanzania, but her degree was not recognized in this country, so IPC provided her with a grant so that she could take final courses at Colorado Christian University and become a new Pediatric Nurse.