Andrew Romay New Immigrant Center

Alumni Spotlight: Kassim Kone

Interview conducted by Maria Pyaterneva, ESU Receptionist

Where are you from?
I am from Burkina Faso, West Africa.

How long have you been in the U.S.?
I have been living in the United States for almost seven years now. It feels like I came yesterday. I am still new. I am still adjusting to my life.

What was your occupation before you came to the U.S.?
In my country, I was working as a marketer. My organization was selling chicken and eggs. We delivered it to the supermarkets and local grocery stores. I was responsible for advertising, finding new clients, and giving them our products.

I don't miss my job. I am happy being here and living in a new country, facing new experiences, and growing more. I don't miss my job because I like challenges. I am someone who always gets to the next step. I want to discover more.

What do you miss about your country the most? 
I can say I miss my mother. I really do miss my mother. That woman, she did everything to me. She deserves everything in the world. If I could jump and grab the moon, I would do it for her. She made me who I am. I miss her a lot.

Have you seen your mom during these 7 years?
No. I am still in my immigration process. This fact kept me away from her.

We have good people around us, but sometimes you need someone from your family. If you have the support of your family you can go where you want to go, you can achieve everything.
I do have good friends, they are supporting me all the time emotionally, mentally, and everything. But I think mom is everything.
I know that my mom and I have a different view on certain things. But she always accepts the way I am. I really want to make her happy. I want to see her happy. I want her to see me.
I think that my mom is my weakness. She is the one. If you attack me it's not going to hurt me. But if you attack her, that way you got me. You can do whatever you want to me but attacking her, you will hurt my heart. You will break me.

What are your memories of being an ARNIC member?
I will always be grateful to ARNIC. They made me Kassim. They made me who I am. They gave me everything. They gave me English. They gave me mental support. They made me shift things, the things that I could never imagine that I can do. My ARNIC experience was full of happiness and glory.

Talking about teachers, they are so patient, all of them are well trained to give students comfort. They teach you everything. They give you time. They say "you got this", "take your time". Sometimes when you come from a different country you have a lot of frustrations.

The ARNIC, the entire organization, and the group of people who work there are my heroes. Karl has always been there for me. Such a supportive man. He helped me a lot in finding a job.

I enjoyed being an ARNIC member. I remember Lindsay, my conversation tutor, was teaching us how to set up a table in a dining room, and how to fold a napkin. I didn't know how to do this. They give me something besides the school.

According to tutoring at the synagogue on 53rd street, those teachers are my favorite ones. Everyone is my favorite, but those are my favorites.

My first tutor was Jane, but Jane passed away, unfortunately. I've been working with Alan Middleman. He has been involved with my life here. He is my mentor. He is my guide father. He is like a father to me. He was helping me with my resume and explained how to find a job.

If I have difficulties at my job he will help me to write an email. Sometimes I may have a problem with my paycheck. He always came up with a good idea about those problems and everything.

Alan is everything for me. I always pray "May god give a long life to this guy".
Because there are plenty of Kassims outside, we need someone like Alan. So I want God to give us all a long life so we can look after each other.

And what Alan did for me was so important. And I would like to give back to someone who is in need. Like me. So I would like not to pay back but to give back all the help that I received from them. I would like to give back to immigrants one day if I have the opportunity.

I can say that I am lucky. Plenty of people are sleeping outside and it is so cold. They don't have a job.

I think that school is very important when you come to this country.
Go learn English, make a friend, make good friends, make a connection with people, be there for them, and ask them to be there for you, and then be honest.

I want to talk about resilience. It's that when you fall, get back on your feet again. A lot of doors were closed. I went there, I knocked, they didn't open, but I didn't stop. I was resilient. I always go and knock on the door. I tried my chances.

I don't want people to feel like I don't speak English. They looked down at me. No! You need to have courage. Have courage, and you will achieve everything. Believe in yourself. And do what you have to do. Just go forward. Don't let anyone stop your dream or take it away from you.

What is one of your biggest achievements in your immigrant journey?
My biggest achievement is having asylum and being a permanent resident. People have not been getting asylum in this country since Donald Trump. Things are getting slowed down.

The second achievement is being able to speak English. That's huge. That would change your life. This is America. People speak English. If you don't speak English, you are not going anywhere. You have a limit, I think. Learning English at the ARNIC program was everything for me, being a student, and being part of that community. That changed my life. And it's still changing my life.
And my third achievement – studying as a freshman at the college here, going to college, experiencing America in the classroom. Everything is a challenge. English is not my first and is not even my second language, it's my third language. I try to be on track. I try to keep it up with American students. So that's a challenge. Sometimes I get depressed. I don't sleep at night. But I say "I'll try. I can do it. I will try hard."
Sometimes I get mental, physical, and emotionally hurt, but that doesn't stop me from asking questions when I don't understand. This is my first semester. I am so happy. I am taking only one class. I am so excited. But it is hard. I am studying nursing. I would like to become a registered nurse.

Did you face any challenges in your immigrant journey? If yes, how did you overcome them?
Do you think I have a secret? I don't have one. (Smiling)

What I have is courage. I don't get discouraged that easily. I don't let people intimidate me by saying "you cannot do this, this is hard".

I am a human, I just need a little support. If I come to you and say: "I would like to do this." And you answer "Oh, Kassim, this is hard, you cannot do this". If you tell me that it would motivate me. And I would say "Okay, this is another challenge. So let's do it".
Courage and resilience are my secret weapon.

What advice would you give to newly arrived immigrants?
I know we all came from different countries. The way things have been in my country is a different way than the way it's happened in your country. This is America.
People say when you are going to a foreign country, if you see them walking on one foot you will do the same thing.
So start with English first, go to school, and learn English. It will take time, you will need a lot of practice, but don't get discouraged.
Be positive to yourself. Be honest with yourself. Be honest with others. If you have those skills, no one can stop you.
In my case, that's what made me who I am right now. And I am still on my way. Go knock on a door, stand up for yourself, be honest whatever you are doing, and then find a good friend. Listen to your teacher. Listen to everyone.
Do not be shy. Sometimes we feel like if I say something people are going to laugh at me. This is America. This is an immigrant country. We all came from somewhere. They can laugh at me. It's temporary. One day it will stop. They can laugh today, but tomorrow they might not laugh.
Ask questions. It's important if you don't understand.
In class, I was always "Oh, professor, what does it mean?" If people say "What does it mean? You don't understand?".
I would say, "I am not from here. English is not my first language."
I am not from here, so I have to play around and make the professor slow down because of me.
You guys, understand like that. (Kassim makes a click-click sound with fingers.)
It's not the same for me. This is a process for me. But if I get it – it's forever. But it takes time for me to understand.

What resources did you find helpful for being an immigrant in the U.S.?
Being in a school that financially helped me to pay my tuition.
Having the benefits from the government such as insurance. I appreciate it a lot. I didn't have that in my country.
The most important thing is that I am safe here. This is a legal country. I am safe. You are safe. You cannot take my rights away from me. I cannot take your rights away from you. We respect each other here.

What is one of your favorite hobbies?
I don't like wintertime. I like summertime. (Laughing)
I enjoy going out. Walking around and biking when it's warm. Going to the movies sometimes or going to concerts. I like Jazz music. I like going to the bar with friends. I like just being me.

What are your goals and plans for the future?
I would like to become a nurse and work in a hospital. And then give a hand to people who needed help.
And besides that, I really would like to make immigrants comfortable in America. I would like to create my foundation, to change immigrants' lives. Life is hard here. A lot of people helped me, so I would like to give back. Not paying back but giving back. Those people needed us. So let's stand up for them.

Would you like to share something else about your immigrant experience that we haven't asked you?
No, you asked me everything. (Laughing)