Our Hello blog is a collection of articles and news from professionals, receiving community members, and USAHello staff. Blog posts are published mostly in English.

Today, former Iraqi translator Firas Kazlee is making the most of his American dream as an entrepreneur in the American Midwest. However, his journey started long before he arrived in St. Louis in February 2012. Years before his resettlement to the United States, Firas knew he was at a crucial crossroads. With the conflict in ... Read more

Helena, Montana – a tech consultant celebrates Mayor Wilmot Collins. There aren’t many visible refugees in my small town. So it was a special pleasure to learn that Wilmot Collins was coming to visit from Helena, Montana, our capital city. Wilmot Collins is a refugee from Liberia. He was coming to participate in a civic ... Read more

Lewiston, Maine – author Amy Bass honors a student soccer player who was a refugee from Somalia and later became part of a town united through soccer. I first met Maulid in a hallway outside the cafeteria at Lewiston High School, halfway through a day of shadowing Coach Mike McGraw, head coach of the soccer team ... Read more

Minneapolis, Minnesota – Rep. Frank Hornstein honors Rep. Ilhan Omar. There is a sign on my office door that reads, “My people were refugees, too.” The message from the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) is a reminder of the Jewish immigrants who arrived in the United States, fleeing wars and seeking freedom, opportunity, and a ... Read more