Community Building: Cultural Proficiency: Meet Our Speakers 
Our speakers have powerful stories to tell, from personal experience as first- or second-generation immigrants or as part of resilient refugee families. They are inspired to share their cultural knowledge and insight and able to answer questions and curiosities about their culture. They are subject matter experts, rooted in their culture’s history and tradition. Their journey into American life is filled with keen sensibilities about cultural differences and similarities.
Introduction to Latino Culture
Enrique “Cha-Cho” Estrada joined Neighborhood House as a Community Youth Advocate in February of 2008 after working with the Boys and Girls Club in the Twin Cities for 24 years. He is best known for his program development, training and leadership in gang prevention and intervention work for youth living in at-risk circumstances. Cha-Cho, a second generation Mexican-American, grew up on Saint Paul’s West Side, the “Ellis Island” of Minnesota.
Introduction to Hmong Culture
Maypahou Ly, College Access Specialist and Teen Parent Educator at Neighborhood House, is a 2004 University of Minnesota, Twin Cities graduate with a major in English and a minor in Asian American Studies. She has designed and implemented programs focused on sexual health, youth development, life skills, higher education, conflict resolution and job search. She had also coordinated programs for parents and children in the areas of leadership building and pre-K skills as well as community building practice. Currently, Maypahou sits on the following committees: Teenwise Conference Planning Committee and the Community Cooperative Council on HIV/AIDS Prevention [CCCHAP].
Wa Yang is a second generation Hmong whose family was forced to escape Laos due to his father’s support of the United States in the Vietnam War. He was born only a year after his parents came to the United States. Like many Hmong families in the Twin Cities, his family raised vegetables and sold them at local farmers’ markets. A graduate of Metropolitan State, Wa pursued an acting career that included roles in Hmong films. Wa recently moved back from Los Angeles to care for his parents and continue his education with a goal of pursuing a medical career.
Kalue Her is Annual Funds Manager at Neighborhood House and a graduate of the College of Saint Benedict. Her parents immigrated to the United States in the early 1980s. They struggled to integrate into a new culture and social system and found help through the support of social service agencies and the tight-knit Hmong communities. When not working, Kalue helps tutor Hmong youth at Neighborhood House and stays engaged with various groups advocating for positive social change in the Hmong community.
Introduction to Somali Culture
Abdimalik Askar left Somalia in 1991 after civil war erupted and moved to Minnesota in 1993. He received an AA degree from Normandale Community College, a BA in Information Technology and a MA in Project Management from St. Mary’s University. He is currently working on his Doctor of Leadership Ed. D. at St. Mary’s University. Mr. Askar was the outreach coordinator for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities where he developed programs to encourage disadvantaged and minority high school students to graduate from college.
Introduction to Karen Culture
Eh Taw Dwe came to the United States in 2004 as a political refugee. In 1996, Eh Taw was hired by Earth Rights International (ERI) to document the human rights abuses by the Burmese military junta. For two years, Eh Taw served as the leader of his village in Burma until being arrested and tortured by the military junta for his ethnicity and human rights work. In 2002, he and his family fled to Thailand where Eh Taw served as an interpreter in the Tham Him refugee camp. Shortly after arriving in Minnesota, Eh Taw was hired by the St. Paul Ramsey County Department of Health, where he is currently employed. Eh Taw has been a tireless advocate for the Karen people in Minnesota. Soon after arriving in Minnesota, Eh Taw joined the Karen Community of Minnesota (KCM) and served as the Volunteer Youth Committee Chair, later serving as KCM’s Health Committee Chair. Eh Taw has been asked to speak before numerous government, civic, and business organizations regarding the Karen people.
Introduction to Ethiopian and Oromo Culture
Milena Gebremeskel is the Family Support and Education program manager at Neighborhood House, where she oversees Early Childhood Education and other Family Support programs. She has wide experience working with immigrant/refugee populations and individuals with disabilities. A native of Ethiopia, Milena moved to the Minnesota in 1990. She received a Masters of Social Work from the University of Minnesota in 2006. She speaks Amharic, Tigrinya, French and English.
Introduction to American Indian Culture
John Wabaunsee was born and raised on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. He is a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation of Kansas. He is a lawyer formerly employed by the Native American Rights Fund and the Wisconsin State Public Defender. He has taught and lectured extensively on Native American treaties, Native American law and criminal law. At the presenti time he is Chief Judge of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the Nottawasippi Huron Band of Potawatomi. The Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin appoints him as a special judge on a case-by-case basis to its trial and appellate courts. Since retirement he earned a Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from Hamline University. He teaches in the English Language Learners program at Neighborhood House and the English department at the Universidad Autonomia de Yucatan (UADY) in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico.
Norman Benson is a Chemical Health Specialist for the Saint Paul Public School's Indian Education Program. He is an enrolled member of the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota where the Mandan Hidatsa Arikara Nation live.
John Bobolink is a Lead Teacher for Saint Paul Public School's Indian Education Program. He has 23 years of experience in the education field and is an enrolled member of the Leech Lake Ojibwe Reservation.
Refugees and Immigrants: A Provider Perspective
Michelle Ness, MSW, LGSW is the Director of Programs and Evaluation at Neighborhood House. She leads the agency’s evaluation efforts as well as the English Language Learner program, Youth Center, Social Work Internships, and Gang Reduction & Intervention programming. She obtained her master’s degree in social work from the University of Minnesota, focusing on community practice and human service management. She has served in non-profit leadership roles for over 10 years, guiding and delivering services for families, immigrants, refugees, victims and perpetrators of domestic violence, adults with mental illness, and individuals with disabilities.
Kara Schommer, Adult Education and College Access Programs Manager, earned her B.A. in English from the University of Minnesota and has over seven years of experience in literacy/language learning environments. The Adult Education program at Neighborhood House is the second largest single site adult learning center in the St Paul Community Literacy Consortium. Under her leadership, the English Language Learner program at Neighborhood House was awarded the Verizon Tech Savvy award for its outstanding educational programs that take the mystery out of technology for parents and caregivers. The College Access program partners with community groups, colleges and universities to assist low-income, immigrant, and refugee youth and adults prepare for and enter post-secondary education.
Please note: Presenters may be added or changed based upon availability.
