Jan. 7—ROCHESTER — When Zenebech Aly visited Rochester for the first time in the summer of 2010, she decided pretty much on the spot that here is where she wanted to raise her young family.
She had expected a snow-covered wasteland and instead found a profusion of green foliage and “beautiful flowers.” And Aly was enchanted by the prospect of four seasons, so different from her native Ethiopia where there are only wet and dry seasons and the word for “snow” doesn’t exist in her native language.
“I felt this is home,” Aly said.
But like any newcomer, Aly found that the period of enforced idleness while waiting for her work permit to come through was “driving me crazy.” So at the suggestion of her sister, Aly began volunteering as an interpreter at various places including Mayo Clinic and the Intercultural Mutual Assistance Association.
And as she began to understand the landscape of Rochester better, those experiences formed a road map that she now uses to help others from her native country and second-generation Ethiopian-Americans navigate the city.
“I volunteered several hours just to make sense that I understand the culture, I understand the system,” she said. “I also used the experiences that I brought.”
Recently, Aly was named one of seven recipients of the Virginia McKnight Binger Heart of Community Honor, previously known as the Unsung Hero Awards. Each recipient receives a $10,000 cash award.
“These seven leaders represent the heart of their communities, showing up every day with generosity, compassion and conviction to create a more caring and connected Minnesota,” said Tonya Allen, president of the McKnight Foundation.
Aly is credited with designing and leading a crisis response program that provides stabilizing support for families in the Ethiopian community. She also assists people in finding employment, translates materials and supervises a youth-led program that helps young people navigate college and career paths and understand civic responsibilities.
Aly estimates that the Ethiopian community in Rochester is about 500 households strong and growing. Many are Orthodox Christians who worship at a church on East Center Street, a congregation has grown to the point that it is transitioning to a larger space, she said.
Ethiopians work in the medical profession at Mayo Clinic and in manufacturing and housekeeping, she said.
Aly said the biggest cultural adjustment that Ethiopians face in the U.S. is going from a community-based culture to one that prizes the individual above the group. Growing up in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, families relied on the neighbor, not day care, to look after children.
“Back home, we help each other out,” Aly said. “For a new mom, we are so lucky that the infrastructure and professional help (is available here to help young families). But back home, we do not have that, but we have community.”
A custom common to Ethiopian culture is to fling open the front door in the morning as an open invitation to come inside and share a meal. Aly recalled talking to one Ethiopian woman who found the habit of keeping the door closed alien and stultifying to her.
“She said, ‘Here, the door is closed and I feel just locked up, and I was scared all the time.’ She said, ‘I was going to lose my mind because I didn’t get used to this,'” Aly said.
Aly said the two biggest challenges that slow down newcomers and immigrants in their transition to Rochester are language and transportation. Aly sees her role as an information clearinghouse that connects people to resources.
First-generation newcomers often face similar challenges. If they are looking for work, she makes them aware of the workforce center and employment agencies. If getting around town is the issue, she makes them aware of the bus system. For those new arrivals seeking shelter, Aly has put up families in her basement “for the night until we figure out what we can do next.”
The mother of two children, she and her husband were living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, when they emigrated to Rochester. In Dubai, Aly worked in various roles for an engineering firm, adapting herself to the needs of the company, going from secretary to purchase coordinator to quality management officer.
When she arrived in Rochester, she decided a formal education would be the best way to sell her experiences and utilize her talents. So she spent the next years attending school at Rochester Community and Technical College, Winona State University and Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, graduating with a master’s in project management. When she is not volunteering, Aly works at the United Way as an impact operations associate.
As a one-time newcomer to Rochester, Aly knows what it’s like to be cast afloat in a new community. And she sees her lived and professional experiences as a lifeline for others.
“It makes me give my best to the community,” she said.