Meet A Volunteer: Nyayan

My name is Nyayan.  For the past few weeks I've been volunteering at the Holocaust Center. 

My mother was pregnant with me when my family fled the civil war in Sudan, so I was born in Ethiopia as a refugee.  My mother wanted me to have opportunities in my life and when I was 8, she sent me to the United States to live with my uncle.  I’ve been separated from my family for 10 years. I have been to school and learned English.  It has been very hard for me.

Last year my teacher at the Seattle World School brought our class to see the Anne Frank Exhibit at the new Holocaust museum.  While I was there, I saw this large picture of Steve Adler when he was 8 years old with a swastika symbol on it.  I learned that this was his passport to board the ship that took him to freedom.

Mr. Adler also came to visit us at the World School, where all the students are refugees working on our subjects and English.  We heard Mr. Adler tell us about his life as a refugee.  At the end, he asked “who is a refugee” and the whole class raised their hands.  It made me think that if he could make a difference in his life, so could I.  The day he came to talk at my school I began to think about my life and how Steve and I were both sent away from our country.  He thought one day, I would tell my story.  

Now I have been volunteering at the Holocaust Center before school starts again.  It is my first time working in an office, so it is interesting to experience that.  It's not as boring as I thought!  It is pretty quiet and chill here.  I have enjoyed helping prepare for the luncheon in October, and I learned how to use the printer and scanner.

Thanks to the Holocaust museum and center for helping me to begin to learn about the Holocaust and about myself.