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2005 Paraprofessional of the Year

Sam You

Living through adversity and coming out on top!

By Bill Murray

Sam You has a truly inspiring story like few others. Despite overcoming the hardships of war, exile, and language barriers, Mr. You continues to work tirelessly to assure that his students receive the individual attention they need to succeed. His unique past, as well as his continued focus on students has made him Minnesota's 2005 Paraprofessional of the Year.

Due to political upheaval during and after the Vietnam War, Mr. You, a teacher in his native country, Cambodia, was forced to flee to the United States. During this tumultuous era, Cambodia's government fell to the communist group Khmer Rouge. In an attempt to reconstruct Mao's communist model of China in Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge began the devastating process of ethnic cleansing. This genocide is attributed to killing over two million people. Among the casualties were many of Mr. You's family, including his mother, father and sister.

With the help of many caring families, Cambodian refugees were given amnesty in the US and many relocated to Minnetonka. Deborah Freeman, the ESL Teacher and District Chair of the Minnetonka Public Schools comments on the immediate change, "Overnight, Minnetonka went from a district with a handful of ESL students to a district with many very needy students who spoke [no] English. Many of them, due to war and political unrest, had never attended school, and [conversely] a few were ready for university."

Sam selflessly answered the call to help his foreign compatriots learn in their new environment and began volunteering his time. The school district was quick to notice Sam's caring and special teaching abilities and swiftly moved to offer him compensated employment. Since arriving in Minnesota, Sam has also continued his own learning and professional development by completing enough credit hours to satisfy the paraprofessional requirements of NCLB.

Sam, an ESL paraprofessional, continues to assist in the same district in which he began 23 years ago. During a typical day, Sam will attend classes with students and reiterate the day's lessons, sometimes translating instructions when needed. Ms. Freeman explains his extraordinary abilities:

"One day after school, I watched Mr. You working at the chalkboard with three students. It was amazing. He was teaching algebra to a student in English, geometry to a student in Khmer, and chemistry to a student in French-all at the same time...In Mr. You, students find a mentor that is not only dedicated to them, but has experienced firsthand the struggles that accompany immigrating to a new country. Mr. You's unique perspective is an irreplaceable asset to this department and his students."

Knowing that his students' success is absolutely based on communication, Sam is quick to downplay his unique talents and attributes his success to his colleagues and the entire Minnetonka staff. "Helping students accomplish their tasks on a daily basis and watching them progress in their academic goals is what I'm most proud of," Sam states. When asked about what he has learned from his failures, he simply states, "Perseverance." A truly fitting description of not only his work ethic, but also an important lesson he has undoubtedly learned from his life experiences.

Congratulations Sam, our 2005 Minnesota Paraprofessional of the Year. You life truly inspires!