Connecting her people with opportunities
Feb. 25—When Ehsannah Paw moved to the United States in 2009, she only knew a few people here.
Originally born in Burma, she grew up in Thailand in a refugee camp before deciding to come to the United States by herself.
She met a few other single women who were also making the trip, and they first went to New Jersey, before they moved to Minnesota because of a connection one of the other women had.
Paw said once they moved to St. Paul, they were connected with a Karen organization, and from there she was connected with Select Foods in Albert Lea.
She worked at Select Foods for two years before starting as a part-time success coach with the Albert Lea school district for six months before she was told by Penny Jahnke with Adult Basic Education about an opening at Workforce Development Inc. She applied and was offered the position, which was set up to help others in the Asian community find employment.
Now, nine years later, Paw has become an asset to the organization and finds pride in being able to help others like herself from the southeast Asian community — some who are new to the area.
Paw said her main role is helping these individuals find a job, but she also helps them be aware of other resources that are available in the community and to find housing.
She'll even help with paperwork in applying for assistance, citizenship or in applying for a green card.
After she was with WDI for a few years, the office was awarded a grant through the Minnesota Department of Labor for a program to support efforts for individuals of southeast Asian descent get acclimated. She said the grant funding can go to help in the job search process and even help with clothing and other work items once the individuals find a job, along with job training costs and tuition fees, if needed.
"It's just amazing to have someone to share this information to our community," she said. "When I got here I hoped someone would share like that. ... I'm so grateful to the state who gives us the money because it is needed here."
She said her current caseload so far this year between Albert Lea and Austin has been between 70 and 80, and she estimated that her caseload last year was between 200 and 400 people.
Jenna Overland, regional manager for Workforce Development Inc. said Paw has been amazing in her role.
"She really is a connector," Overland said. "She is great at connecting the Karen community and then connecting them with job opportunities."
She said Paw is bilingual and well respected in her community, and those skills, combined with her positive spirit and willingness to help, are a big asset to the organization.
Overland said Paw helps those who come in with their career goals, she helps them get enrolled in school if needed and she helps them navigate the systems.
She has even translated sometimes at job interviews or in orientations to make sure both the employer and the participant are happy when hires are made.
Paw's home office is in Albert Lea, but she will go to Austin as needed.
Paw said she is still surprised she was able to get the job — as she achieved a 10th-grade education in Thailand before moving to this country.
"I think it's just a miracle for me," she said.
When she first moved to the United States, it was one of her goals to get a degree having not had access to as much education previously. That goal was put on pause to be able to earn money to pay bills, but someday she hopes to pursue that again.
Paw said she is proud to live in a supportive community like Albert Lea with many organizations to help those who need it, including WDI and others such as Semcac and the United Way of Freeborn County.
"In my view, everyone needs to have success to have a strong and healthy community," she said.
Aside from her job, Paw is active in her church, Zion Karen Lutheran Church, where she teaches Sunday school to children in preschool through first grade. On Friday nights, they teach their native language to whomever wants to participate.
"We just wanted to pass down our culture and language to our younger generation," she said.
Now married with two children, Paw said she loves Albert Lea and especially appreciates all the different cultures here and how people help others in need.
"I love this town," she said. "It's a beautiful community, and when you need it, you can reach out for help."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
5 hours ago
- New York Post
Story of Vietnamese orphans who resettled here 50 years ago proves there are greater things than politics
Fifty years ago, near the end of the Vietnam War, as North Vietnamese troops headed south, the director of the Cam Ranh Christian Orphanage, Pastor Nguyen Xuan Ha — known to everyone as Mr. Ha —decided it was time to escape to somewhere safe. Mr. Ha put 85 children and staff on two buses and headed for Saigon where he hoped they could flee to safety. One of the buses was shot at by a North Vietnamese soldier and the buses separated. Somehow they re-united in Saigon. After renting a boat and getting some distance from shore, the engine quit. For five days they drifted before a Thailand tanker approached. The captain refused to help, but later changed his mind, turned around and towed them for a while. After cutting the tow line, a group of fishermen towed them toward Singapore. Soldiers refused to let them ashore. Mr. Ha wrote a name on a piece of paper and asked a soldier if he could locate a missionary named Ralph Neighbour to help. Dr. Neighbour (now 96), newly arrived in Singapore, was miraculously found. He picks up the story from there in an email to me: 'Singapore government kept them out on St. John's Island. Our missionary team took clothes and food out. USA embassy contacted Swiss United Nations Refugee Center. Special flight arrived. Children whisked thru Singapore on bus with windows covered. Government feared losing neutrality during war. No official record they were there.' I knew Dr. Neighbour from when he was a pastor in Houston where I worked at a local TV station. He called and asked if I could help get the orphans and staff to the United States and find temporary housing for them. I contacted some Washington officials I knew and permission for them to enter the country was granted. When they arrived in Houston, a church couple with a large ranch offered them shelter and food until the Buckner Children and Family Services in Dallas could assist with processing and adoptions. I interviewed the youngest, oldest and one in between who made the anniversary trip. Sam Schrade, who was a baby when he was rescued from the streets of Saigon, is 51 and owns a successful media business in Houston. How would his life have been different had he stayed in Vietnam? He says the fact that he is of 'mixed race' (American-Asian) would make it 'doubly hard' because native Vietnamese 'look down upon such people. I have been told by many people I would not have had a good life here because of the race issue and a government that didn't want me.' Kelli St. German, now 56, thinks she might have been growing coffee beans and doing hard labor had she not come to America. She also believes she would not have developed a strong faith because of the state's antipathy toward religion. 'I became a teacher for 30 years.' Thomas Ho, the oldest orphan, now 76, was 25 when he left Vietnam. He helped organize the evacuation and prepared small amounts of food for the children. In America he became a chef and then studied to become an engineer. He says if he had stayed in Vietnam, 'I might not have survived, especially at my age now. Life here is very difficult. A lot of the food is not very healthy.' Reuniting with these adults, many of whom I met when they were children, is a reminder that there are things far greater than politics, celebrities and the petty jealousies that are the focus of too many of us. There are few greater blessings than to have had a role in changing these lives for the better. These former orphans are blessed. So am I. Cal Thomas is a veteran political commentator, columnist and author.
2 days ago
Chinese ship runs aground off Philippines-occupied island in the disputed South China Sea
PUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines -- A Chinese ship ran aground in stormy weather in shallow waters off a Philippines-occupied island in the disputed South China Sea, prompting Filipino forces to go on alert, Philippine military officials said Sunday. When Filipino forces assessed that the Chinese fishing vessel appeared to have run aground in the shallows east of Thitu Island on Saturday because of bad weather, Philippine military and coast guard personnel deployed to provide help but later saw that the ship had been extricated, regional navy spokesperson Ellaine Rose Collado said. No other details were immediately available, including if there were injuries among the crewmembers or if the ship was damaged, Collado said. Confrontations have spiked between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and navy ships in the disputed waters in recent years. "The alertness of our troops is always there,' Col. Xerxes Trinidad of the Armed Forces of the Philippines told reporters. But when they saw that a probable accident had happened, 'we tried to provide assistance as professionals' in accordance with international law on helping distressed vessels at sea. "We're always following international law,' Trinidad said. Filipino villagers living in a fishing village on Thitu, which they call Pagasa island, immediately informed the Philippine military and coast guard after seeing the Chinese ship lying in the shallows about 1.5 nautical miles (2.7 kilometers) from their village, said MP Albayda, a local Filipino official, told The Associated Press. 'They got worried because the Chinese were so close but it was really the strong wind and waves that caused the ship to run aground," said Albayda, adding that other Chinese ships pulled the stricken vessel away. The stricken ship resembled what the Philippine military had repeatedly said were suspected Chinese militia ships, which had backed the Chinese coast guard and navy in blocking and harassing Philippine coast guard and military vessels in the disputed waters, a busy conduit for global trade and commerce. Thitu Island is home to a Philippine fishing village and Filipino forces and is the largest of nine islands and islets occupied by the Philippines. It lies about 26 kilometers (16 miles) from Subi Reef, which China transformed into an island base along with six other barren reefs to reinforce its claim to virtually the entire South China Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are also involved in the long-simmering territorial standoffs, an Asian flashpoint that many fear could pit China and the United States in a major conflict. The U.S. does not lay any claim to the South China Sea but has repeatedly warned that it's obligated to defend the Philippines, it's longtime treaty ally, if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.
Eater
4 days ago
- Eater
The Chefs' Guide to Chicago's Farmers Markets
It's springtime in Chicago. Not only have we survived the cold, but farmers market season is in full swing. Many neighborhoods have weekday and weekend markets highlighting the work of independent farmers and culinary artisans, whose vegetable, meat, dairy, and seafood quality can outstrip what you can find at a big grocery store. The difference is partly seasonality. If it's not in season, small farms aren't going to force it; there's no need for winter tomatoes in Chicago. The farmers market is a visual education for urbanites into what the seasons look like and the food each season yields. Ramp and chive blossom season in early spring brings opportunities for cooking pastas and light soups with bright alliums, tomato season in summer is best enjoyed with thick slices of heirlooms and flaky salt. Sweet cherries are eaten whole in summer's hottest peak; the spit-out pits should always be composted or replanted, of course. The frantic dog days of summer bring us the gifts of okra: fried, stewed, sauteed with South Asian spices. And fall, when the chill begins to set in, brings the luxury of figs and pomegranate with baked desserts, along with the heartiness of root vegetables and hardy greens like kale, collards, and mustard greens. The temporality of farmers markets is what makes them so beloved by the city's best chefs, who frequent them — and sometimes have stalls there, like Daisies and Verzenay — to find superior products for their customers. Quality comes at a higher price than convenience, but farmers markets are also working on making themselves more accessible and convenient; many, including Green City Market in Lincoln Park, take SNAP/Link cards and triple-match credit so customers can stretch their dollar, and some farms have delivery services if rolling out of bed at 7 a.m. on a Saturday isn't your jam. Markets in the South Side, like 61st Street Market, the El Paseo Community Market, Hyde Park Farmers Market, and Plant Chicago's Mercado De Intercambio are also expanding access to fresh, quality produce to under-served communities. We spoke to chefs around Chicago about their most beloved farmers market items and what they cook with them, and farmers whose work they love: Mick Klüg, Nichols Farm, and Froggy Meadows are classics, while Oriana's (Asian pears, pawpaws, and quince), Joe's Blues (blueberries), and Seedling are known for more specialty items. Latinx-owned Los Rodriguez Farms, Black-owned Growing Home, and Willowbrook Farms are also opportunities to support farmers of color, who are underrepresented. Lamar Moore of Etc. Farmers Market Move: Apples from Growing Home Right now, I'm looking for apples. I love apples in the fall. I used to grow up just eating apples. My grandmother was selling them all the time. In Illinois, we're so close to Michigan, so you get a lot of those farmers that are bringing up those amazing apples, from Pink Lady apples down to the Fujis. We have duck ravioli on the menu, and I do pickled apples on there and apple sorrel ... It gives the ravioli this citrus flavor. I'll make apple compote for our biscuits too. Obviously, Green City has everything. But I try to stick close to South Loop Market because I do find a lot of Black-owned farms that are coming through that way. And 61st Street Market is another good one for that. Justin Lerias of Del Sur Farmers Market Move: Baby corn from Nichols Farm Every summer, Nichols has these tiny little baby corns that I just love to use and bake. It's so soft and you can just eat it with the cob. I think it's more subtle than regular corn, and it's the perfect canvas. Baby corn is so easy to saute and grill to make something exciting. Nichols has lots of miniature versions of vegetables so they have like a baby vegetable art show. I also love their baby eggplants and baby artichokes. Ryan Fakih of Beity Farmers Market Move: Ramps and garlic from Mick Klüg and Froggy Meadows Farm, blueberries and fresh blueberry juice from Joe's Blues I'm excited to start seeing the different colors come out. I'm excited to see life come back from winter to summer. Especially with Lebanese and Arab cuisine, it relies heavily on summer-y produce. That can get difficult because how do you make muhammara, a red pepper dish, if you want it outside of pepper season? Right now, ramps are almost over, but I've been enjoying them. I get mine from Mick Klüg and Four Star Mushroom. I'm excited for anything that comes out of Froggy Meadows; any mushrooms or shallots that Jerry gets, I love. I love Joe's Blues. They're a blueberry farm and they have freshly squeezed blueberry juice. Every visit, I get one. Before I even start the whole walk around the market, I go straight there and get a juice. It shoots up through your blood and wakes you up for the whole trip. For me, the most important part of the farmers market is making sure you're fermenting and pickling the ingredients so it lasts you throughout the year. In Lebanon, we call it mouneh, this fermenting and pickling of items for the winter so you make it through the winter. It's a means of survival and a way that we cherish our plants. In my world, it's beautiful to carry on that history. It's also very sustainable; you're saving food instead of buying more than you can cook and throwing it away. And if you buy garlic from the market, you can plop the bulbs in the soil to grow your own. If you have a garden, you better be gardening. Even when I was living in France and I was in my studio, I'd still grow a bunch of things out of windows and share them with everyone. When we know how to make things for ourselves and share it with others. I think it's a beautiful thing. Diana Dávila of Mi Tocaya Antojeria Farmers Market Move: Melons from Geneva Lakes Produce We get ours from Geneva Lakes Produce — a lovely, hardworking family at Logan Square Farmers Market. We hosted them during the pandemic on our patio. And Los Rodriguez Farm is another lovely family. I also love Seedling and Nichols Farm at Green City. I put onions in everything, so I'd say I'm excited about the allium family. Chiles are also my favorites to get at the farmers market. But I think one of the special things that the Midwest has that doesn't get enough attention is melons. It's one of the only tropical-ish flavors that you can really have here. And I always get them all, but especially rare varietals. Pharaohs in Egypt loved melons, you know? They have pictures of melons, and I think that's so cool. I love watching people's faces when they have actual melons that are grown by small farmers because so much of the fruit that people get at the store is just complete bastards, you know what I mean? Like, some people didn't even know that melons are supposed to have seeds because they make these seedless melons for mass consumption, and that makes other melons have less and less seeds in general. I also buy heritage chicken from farmers markets because I can't stand bullshit chicken, where they rob them of the molecular part of their ingredients with all these chemicals and unnatural practices. But back to melons, once you take them home, you can make agua fresca. It's such a cultural thing for us back in Mexico, making a beautiful, fresh fruit water. You don't need to add sweetener, but you can. I don't really like regular sugar because it's not the best for you. You could use agave or honey. You could use sorghum, you could use beet sugar, you could use maple syrup if you want. The real stuff. And melon is also really good for ceviches. It has all this beautiful water content that lends itself really well to aguachiles. And whatever you get from the market, try pickling it. Erick Williams of Virtue Farmers Market Move: Sorrel, torpedo onions, and root vegetables from Nichols Farm, the South Shore Market, and Bronzeville Boxville Market I love sourcing from Nichols Farm. They consistently offer a wide variety of high-quality, seasonal produce. I also keep an eye out for small-batch growers at the South Shore Market and the Bronzeville Boxville Market, where you often find gems that reflect the flavor and soul of the South Side. Supporting South Side farmers markets is about equity and community investment. These markets not only bring fresh, nutritious food to neighborhoods that need it, but they also support local growers and food entrepreneurs who often don't have the same access to visibility or resources. The produce is just as beautiful, the stories behind the vendors are powerful, and the impact is deeper when we circulate our dollars locally. We need to uplift all of Chicago, not just the parts that already get attention. What I'm excited about … sorrel has this beautiful, bright citrusy flavor — try blending it into a pesto with sunflower seeds and olive oil, or stir it into scrambled eggs or warm grains like farro or couscous to bring some acidity and freshness. With torpedo onions, I love grilling them whole until tender, then drizzling with olive oil and vinegar for a simple side. They also make a fantastic onion jam when slow-cooked — a great addition to burgers, sandwiches, or even a roasted veggie plate. Beets, turnips, and rutabagas are staples for us. Beets can be roasted with a bit of honey and thyme, or shaved raw into salads for texture. Turnips, especially the small Hakurei variety, can be sautéed with garlic and finished with lemon zest. And rutabagas are underrated; mash them like potatoes with butter and herbs, or cut them into wedges and roast until crisp. They're hearty and grounding, perfect for both comfort food and creative dishes. Paul Virant of Gaijin , Vistro Prime , and Petite Vie Farmers Market Move: Endive from Nichols Farm and Mick Klüg For me, it's pretty easy. I'm always most excited about the things you can't get at the grocery store. In the springtime, it's ramps and other spring alliums that are hard to find in the store. As you move into the summertime, it's really hard to find really good fruit in the grocery store. And the fruit that we do see comes from pretty far away, but there's a cost to that. Strawberries are picked under-ripe, and they turn red on their travels out to Chicago. I also love shelling beans, like cranberry beans, lima beans, or fresh black-eyed peas. Even regular kinds of lettuce, arugula, spinach — all that stuff is just more beautiful at the farmers market. If you're buying heartier greens in the fall from some of the local farmers, like spinach or kale, because they can handle the colder weather, that's the stuff that's been nipped by a frost, so it gets better and gets sweeter. Some of those greens, they've kept them in the ground, and they get sweeter as the nights get colder. Then they have interesting greens, like all the radicchios and the endives, the treviso — the bitter greens. Surprisingly, they have a kind of sweetness to them as well, so they're nice raw in a salad. I also like endives quickly charred in a hot pan, maybe with some garlic. I like them slowly braised in the oven with some orange halves and zest, maybe a little wine. If you have dandelion greens or kale, I like doing a conserva-style where you're slowly cooking them with garlic and anchovies in olive oil, maybe some chile flakes, and then finish them with a splash of vinegar or lemon juice. And they'll keep longer because of all the oil. And at Gaijin, we do a lot of Japanese-inspired pickles, and one is like a quick kind of ferment of mustard greens or chrysanthemum greens. The farms that have been pretty consistent in my world would be the Nichols Farm, Mick Klüg Farm, Ellis Family Farms, Iron Creek Farm, and there are a lot of others too. I like River Valley Ranch's mushrooms, Finn's Ranch for meat and eggs (they have duck eggs too). I love Jake's Country Meats. When they're at the market, I make sure to bring my Yeti strap cooler and buy a whole chicken, get some pork, good stuff I can make at home. Oliver Poilevey of Mariscos San Pedro , Le Bouchon , Obelix , and Taqueria Chingon Farmers Market Move: Summer tomatoes from Froggy Meadows I'm most excited for the summer tomatoes. I'll put them on everything. The really good ones are only here for a little while, and I don't really use the other ones that much. Nothing ruins a February sandwich more than a hard tomato. My friend Jerry at Green City Farmers Market in Lincoln Park, from Froggy Meadows, he's the tomato whisperer. Put tomatoes in everything you can think of, but definitely salads. And make sauces and salsas with them. You can also just slice them and eat them with salt and pepper. Leigh Omilinsky of Daisies Farmers Market Move: Strawberries, sweet black cherries, and sugar cube melons from Mick Klüg Farms, Quince from Oriana Orchard and Nursery We wait six months or however long for strawberries. Those are always the best. They're always the highlight for me. Because I have my strawberry items planned in my head in March, when I'm actually ready for them. But we don't get them until the first week of June. We get the majority of our fruit from Mick Klüg. I love them. I've worked with them for more than 15 years. I watched Abby's kids grow up. So it's cool to go and see how they've expanded. But I always look forward to the first strawberries. Then everything happens in rapid succession. All of a sudden, everything is here, at least fruit-wise. Sweet cherries are always fun for me because the season can be like two weeks. And then it's done, so I need to find something that really showcases them. Those sweet black cherries are so fleeting. And black raspberries, too, are so fleeting. I used to know in the city where there are some secret spots where you can pick them. I think generally speaking, with produce that is so special, we know our farmers, we know where they come from, we know what it takes to get there. The less we muck it up, the better. So we are jamming and preserving, and pickling all summer. Then, always like in August, the sugar cube melons I love. The little teeny yellow cantaloupe-looking ones. Those are great. I always make a sous vide out of those because, like it's two ingredients and that's it. And that's just perfect as is. Later into fall, I always want to do something with quince from Oriana. Bring a bag. Take your time. Talk to your farmers. These are the people that put everything they have into this. And for the most part, I can't think of a single one that's not willing to answer any questions. Ask them what's coming up next. Ask them what they're excited about. Ask them what they would do with it. They want to educate you. They want to have you enjoy their product as well. Jenner Tomaska of Esme and The Alston Farmers Market Move: Medlar and a strawberry smoothie from Seedling Fruit Peter from Seedling Fruit is amazing. He's been a long-time supporter of me, and he's an avid diner; he really stays in touch with the chef community. He's able to curate and plan for the following year if there's something special or unique you want to do. His stand at Green City Market also makes smoothies; my favorite is strawberry when they're in season. Right now, I'm looking forward to rhubarb. It's such a small season and small window, so we usually bulk up on it. But he also does medlar, which is just kind of an out-of-the-norm fruit that people don't really buy because it's kind of a pain in the ass to process. Medlar is a small brown fruit, like three times the size of a blueberry. It's dark in complexion, and when you press the innards out of it, it almost tastes already cooked and caramelized. It's almost like a roasted apple pawpaw flavor. It does have some of the slightest astringency to it. You can turn it into ice cream, adding it to a vinaigrette or dressing to make it slightly more savory. Esme is like a block away from Green City in Lincoln Park, so I usually go with my kid, and he goes up to Seedling Fruit, and he'll eat a flat of blackberries in like 30 seconds. Arshiya Farheen of Verzenay Farmers Market Move: Strawberries, gold and black raspberries, and Jupiter grapes from Mick Klüg and Ellis Family Farms, pawpaws from Oriana's Our booth is very close to Nichols Farm, and soon as the ramps get done, you start getting garlic scapes, which is very fun. They have different varieties of allium that you can never see in a grocery store. But we are a bakery and I really believe that strawberries from the Midwest, especially Michigan, are the best in the entire country. If you try Mick Klüg farms or Ellis Family Farms or any other farm from Michigan, their strawberries are a whole different level. It's red through and through, it tastes amazing. They're the closest I have seen to the gariguettes, these tiny French strawberries that grow around spring. The strong flavor profile that a strawberry should have, unfortunately, gets lost in other conventional farming. I also love getting the apples, the peaches, and the pawpaws from Oriana's. Jupiter grapes from Mick Klüg, they're a good alternative to Concord grapes, but they have a deep muscat flavor, and I love to make open-faced tarts with them. Ireland tomatoes from Nichols and sungold tomatoes from Jerry [Boone at Froggy Meadow]. Black raspberries and gold raspberries from Ellis; they are really fragile, so you have to get them right when they bring it out and eat them soon. Oriana's pawpaws and the Asian pears she has are so good. I didn't know what a pawpaw was 10 years ago before we started going to the market. They remind me of some of the fruits back in India; they have a custardy flavor profile, and you don't have to do anything but scoop it out and eat it with a spoon. You can also do something savory with strawberries if you want to try something new. Get the green strawberries and pickle them. These interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity. Sign up for our newsletter.
