News > Immigration In Minnesota
So Grateful: For Refuge, Citizenship, College, and Family
Posted on Sep 17 2019
September marks a new school year for students across Minnesota. Classrooms throughout the state are filled with eager students ready to start making a mark in their community. For Pwe Ku, a first year student at St. Cloud University, this is an opportunity he does not take for granted.
Pwe Ku arrived in Minnesota from Burma (Myanmar) when he was six years old. He doesn’t remember much about his country of origin, except for stories told by his mom. His family spent the first six years of Ku’s life in the Mae La refugee camp in Thailand before moving to Minnesota.
“I was a kid then, so I probably didn’t really realize how hard life was until she explained it later,” Ku explained. “In the refugee camp it’s hard to find work and the rations really aren’t enough to get by. We have a big family so it’s hard. There’s always worries. Anything could happen at any time.”
Ku’s family was forced to leave Burma (Myanmar) due to the longest civil war in world history — a war spanning more than 70 years. Internal conflicts began shortly after the country gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1948. The fighting and dangerous environment eventually forced Ku’s parents to flee from their home.
One constant throughout his family’s ordeal has been their faith.
“We kept our faith in God really strong,” remembers Ku. “My mom called a prayer time every evening. She would give us a history and a background of our people and our family.”
Now, Ku and his family members are all proud citizens of the United States. Within the last three years, Ku’s three older siblings and his parents have all passed the citizenship test. Ku and his little sister were both under 18 when their parents received citizenship, so they did not have to take the test.
“One thing people should know is that [refugees] don’t take things for granted,” repeated Ku. “It’s a special opportunity. We have to work as hard as the first pilgrims when they came here, learning the environment, their surroundings. And although there are opportunities, there are side effects too. It’s good to be integrated into the American culture, but too much isn’t a good thing either. We try and live for the freedom that we’re given the best way we can and at the same time we are trying to give back to the American community.”
Ku’s experience as a child in a refugee camp, combined with his desire to give back to his community, lead him to choose biology (pre-med) as his field of study.
“I want to do something that will benefit both myself and others,” Ku said. “I’ll be attending St. Cloud University. Majoring in biology or music. I want to major in biology for medical school, but I don’t know if I should major or minor in music. It depends on my classes. I was thinking of joining the men’s choir.”
When asked what he is most looking forward to at college he said, “A little bit more freedom and working hard on my majors.”
Ku is thankful to the Worthington community for the opportunities he has been given. He does not take any of it for granted.
“As a refugee and immigrant I really appreciate how America and other UN [United Nations] countries have helped immigrants and given us an opportunity to have a better life and higher education. And most importantly I want to thank God for making everything possible.”