Ayan Omar has had quite a journey to her language arts classroom at Tech High School. Omar, born in Somalia, came to the United States in 1993 as a refugee and started her public education in Georgia.
“My life started here in public education,” she says. “One of the reasons I became a teacher was to help other kids assimilate.”
Omar’s sixth-grade teacher recognized her capabilities to mentor other refugee students coming to the United States. At such a young age, she was able to help them learn the language and assist them with their reading.
After high school graduation, she moved to Minnesota to attend St. Cloud State University. It was an awakening for her, not only because of the cold Minnesota winters compared to the warm humid air of Georgia, but she also moved from a predominantly African-American culture where the majority of students were black.
“I had to relearn what I thought America was, moving to the Midwest,” explains Omar.
Omar joined an interfaith dialogue to understand people, and as part of her teaching role in college, she was a part of interfaith panels. She traveled to small towns around St. Cloud talking about Islam and the traumatic experience of immigrant students coming to the United States.
For a time, Omar worked with the St. Cloud Times to increase understanding about Ramadan, and she also wrote for The Washington Post about Islamophobia.
“Teaching goes beyond the textbook. I saw myself as a visual representation of what acceptance can look like,” says Omar. “I’m a Somali refugee and American.”
Omar has carried her life experience to the classroom.
“They [students] don’t remember what they read, but what and how it is taught,” Omar says.
As an advisor to the International Club at Tech, she was approached by the students about doing a culture show.
“The kids were hungry for it,” exclaims Omar. “The students took on the responsibility. They come up with a new theme every year. The best part is that it is a diverse group of students working together.”
Omar is enthusiastic about her kids. It shows in her classroom discussions as well as her work with her club students.
“This generation, they want to share who they are to anyone who will listen,” states Omar. “Never forget where you come from. It’s always about the kids. They just want to be heard.”
Through Tech’s Culture Show and her classroom, Omar is giving students the stage to share proudly who they are and where they come from.
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