The nightmare began for Hammond High School senior Sui Hnem Iang Ngun Hei when her father became a wanted man in their native Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.

"He helped some people," Sui said of her father, whose actions caused officials in the military junta-led nation, which also is accused of rampant human rights violations, to become suspicious of him.

Her father immediately fled the home where she, her mother and five brothers lived in western Myanmar to nearby Malaysia.

The rest of the family followed, living in refugee camps for a few years before Sui's maternal grandparents were able to fund their escape to the United States in 2005.

Sui and other refugees from Myanmar shared their experiences with Howard County residents Nov. 5 at a Refugee Awareness Night at River Hill High School.

In the program, organized with help from the school's ESOL program instructional team leader Lisa Hansen, the students conducted informational presentations and performed music and dance of the Chin tradition (the largely-Christian ethnic group to which most of the students from Myanmar belong).

The event was intended to heighten awareness of refugees living in the county, Hansen said.

"No one was aware that we had refugees (in Howard County)," Hansen said.

An influx of Chin refugees arrived in Howard County a year ago, and the school-age children were enrolled in the school system's Newcomer Program, which Hansen coordinates.

The program is designed for students new to Howard County whose second language is English -- a language in which they also have a low proficiency, Hansen said.

Sui and 50 other Chin refugees are bused from their home schools, Hammond High in Sui's case, and brought to River Hill for specialized instruction every school day, Hansen said.

"It expanded our (Newcomer) Program quite a bit," she added of the arrival of the Chin refugees.

The program also allows for interaction between mainstream students and those in the Newcomer Program.

Every other Friday, students in the Newcomer Program meet with a group of students in the system's gifted and talented and peer mentorship programs to play games such as Uno or Spoons.

One of the eventual goals, Hansen said, is for the ESOL students to teach the other students how to play games from their native countries without using any English.

Dawt Tin Rem, 15, also a Chin, said she enjoys the games she has learned from her peers.

"I like them. We practice speaking," she added.

The non-ESOL students also take away a great deal from the interaction, students said.

"I feel like we connected. You can laugh and hang out with them," Faiza Hasan, a River Hill junior, said.

"It kind of makes you appreciate what you have," peer mentor Alexandra Schovee said.

For Sui, the journey from refugee to Howard County resident has ensured education, safety and freedoms she seldom had in her country.

"I am happy how we can go to church freely," she said.

There are things about her homeland, however, that are irreplaceable.

"I miss my (grandma) the most," she said. "Whenever I see (her) in my dream, I cry."

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