When Zenebech Aly visited Rochester for the first time in the summer of 2010, she decided pretty much on the spot that here is where she wanted to raise her young family.
She had expected a snow-covered wasteland and instead found a profusion of green foliage and “beautiful flowers.” And Aly was enchanted by the prospect of four seasons, so different from her native Ethiopia where there are only wet and dry seasons and the word for “snow” doesn’t exist in her native language.
“I felt this is home,” Aly said.
But like any newcomer, Aly found that the period of enforced idleness while waiting for her work permit to come through was “driving me crazy.” So at the suggestion of her sister, Aly began volunteering as an interpreter at various places including Mayo Clinic and the Intercultural Mutual Assistance Association.
And as she began to understand the landscape of Rochester better, those experiences formed a road map that she now uses to help others from her native country and second-generation Ethiopian-Americans navigate the city.
“I volunteered several hours just to make sense that I understand the culture, I understand the system,” she said. “I also used the experiences that I brought.”
Recently, Aly was named one of seven recipients of the Virginia McKnight Binger Heart of Community Honor, previously known as the Unsung Hero Awards. Each recipient receives a $10,000 cash award.
No Comment Found.