TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Two Magic Valley residents — a refugee-turned-advocate and a child of immigrants — are sharing their personal stories as part of a community storytelling event called "Becoming Idaho."
Chandra Upreti, director of the Twin Falls office of the United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, is a refugee himself. He said his parents fled their home country of Bhutan when he was only 6 months old. After leaving Bhutan and before arriving in the United States, Upreti and his family lived in a refugee camp in Nepal for nearly 17 years.
"My parents fled when I was only six months old. I did not choose to become a refugee," Upreti said. "Today I'm a very proud U.S. citizen, a parent, and also in a place where I'm able to help fellow refugees. It means a lot to me, and I'm looking forward to sharing my own personal story."
Hear more from speakers who will share their stories of how they came to Idaho
Upreti is one of the guest speakers at the Feb 26 "Becoming Idaho" event, part of Idaho Solutions 'The More You Know' lecture series.
The event is an opportunity to highlight the diversity that has long defined Twin Falls.
"It's really nice to see folks coming from different parts of the world," added Upreti. "And live in a community that we all share."
Twin Falls has welcomed refugees since the 1980s, resettling people from 47 countries over the past 46 years. Prior to the Trump administration's restrictions on refugees, the office resettled about 200 individuals each year. Today, the center is on track to resettle fewer than half that number.
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A pediatrician in Twin Falls and the child of immigrants from Honduras and Costa Rica, Dr. José Peña said he grew up in a bilingual household. He said those language skills allow him to connect with patients and community members who do not speak English.
"America has always been known as a land of opportunity, a land that's welcoming to immigrants or to people that are from outside, and one of the ideals that I hope that a lot of people really cherish is that [we are] kind of a melting pot," Peña said.
Peña said he hopes the event changes minds about immigration and diversity.
"I think it's good to hear a different accent or hear someone speaking a different language," Peña said. "My hope would be the people who can go to this experience and come away thinking 'OK, this is actually a really good thing.'"
Video from the event will be available on the Idaho Solutions website.
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