University of Louisville Magazine

SUMMER 2016

The University of Louisville Alumni Magazine: for alumni, faculty, staff, students and anyone that is a UofL Cardinal fan.

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FROM KENYA TO KENTUCKY In 2008, Noor f nally was selected by the United Nations for relocation as a refugee to Richmond, Virginia. He arrived in the United States with his brothers and immediately was taken to a factory to begin work. They quickly discovered that there was little to no refugee community in Richmond, let alone a population of Somalis. Life was hard. Everything was different, and there was no outlet for the things Noor missed and treasured about his home and culture. He eventually moved to Seattle, hoping to mesh with the Somali community there. Still, something was missing. Noor had heard about the refugee relocation efforts in Louisville, so in 2012, he left Seattle and resettled in the Derby City. He found the community he was seeking, but it wasn't a perfect mesh. "The Somalis in Louisville are from different parts of the country, so we don't have the same customs and culture, and we even speak a little differently," said Noor. "I found that I could help interpret for the different groups." Soon, Noor became a de facto leader in the Somali community. "I wanted to do more. I knew that getting an education would help me do that." In 2013, Noor enrolled in the School of Public Health and Information Sciences at the University of Louisville. He was working nights at UPS and raising a family at the same time. The goal to f nish his degree seemed insurmountable, but if there was one thing Noor was good at — it was overcoming the odds. UofL proved to be a good f t for Noor. "When I was studying, I could take evening classes before I had to go to work. That schedule worked for me and my family, and the library was open 24/7," he said, f ashing a smile from ear to ear. "That was the best part." While he was still a student, Noor was connected with Ruth Carrico, PhD, a UofL professor who runs the Global Health Initiative within the School of Medicine. "We were having a hard time understanding the needs of the Somali population here in Louisville. What we were seeing was a disproportionate representation of single mothers trying to raise families that sometimes included f ve or six children — on their own — in a country where they don't know the customs or speak the language. Ibrahim (Noor) has been an immense help in our efforts," said Carrico. Noor was so much help, in fact, that Carrico brought him on as a full-time employee slightly before his graduation in 2015. Today, he serves as an outreach ambassador for the program, working particularly with the burgeoning Somali population in Louisville. "Working [with the Global Health Initiative] is a dream come true," Noor said, "I feel like I'm contributing now so my children — and the children of all refugees — can have a better future in our new home." "What I saw in [the refugee] was what I was looking for when I decided to study social work. She had the potential and the intelligence. All she needed was an advocate." —Jennifer Ballard-Kang, 15GK

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