Kpaw Lay
One thing that can make a department successful is having one person within it who is somehow above the fray at all times. Kpaw is that guy in the employment department at MVRCR. He reclines in his chair, surveying the refugee client sitting across from him, dispensing advice that he knows well might not be taken as seriously as it should be. It’s a tricky position he has, between employers looking for reliable workers, and refugees struggling to figure out the best way to fend for their families and maybe, just maybe, achieve some of their dreams. How do you tell someone who tended his family’s goats, that it’s important to stay in a job for a year for their resume? How can you tell them about our complicated health insurance system? Kpaw knows you can't be sure what information will be absorbed. Kpaw is one of our favorite people to talk to at MVRCR, especially on camera. He raises one eyebrow, “You want to ask me some questions?” He is circumspect, a quality he has earned via years of experience. He doesn’t sugarcoat anything, which might partly explain his reticence to be interviewed. But to us, therein lies his great value. We know resettlement isn’t easy. We know that first generation refugees aren’t going to become anything like our iconic Marlboro Man American. But they are probably going to become American citizens and they are going to have to understand our complicated systems to some extent. Kpaw is their guide in this dark tunnel, complete with safari hat.
