Lul Omar

Lul Omar uses her empathy to connect with new families

By Rachael Hanel | Photo by Pat Christman

Lul Omar hadn’t been in her role at the YWCA for too long when she started working with a particular preschooler. His family did not speak much English, but he was so young he was like a little sponge. By the time he was in kindergarten, he could spell his nine-letter first name with ease, which greatly impressed his teacher.

The teacher asked, “Where did you go to preschool?” The child replied simply, “Lul.”

Omar laughs at the memory, a deep, rich laugh that frequently punctuates her speech. While the child’s older siblings attended English language classes, he never had to because of that early education. He’s now in seventh grade and flourishing.

“Two days a week can change a life,” Omar says.

Omar was recently recognized for her 10 years working as a parent educator at the YWCA. She works with families and children of immigrants, supporting them in a variety of ways—

bringing books to the children, reading with them, providing backpacks and supplies, and getting the parents connected to resources such as English language education. Anything they might need, she’s on call.

“When you are supporting the child, you are supporting the community,” she says. A child who has access to education and a family who has access to resources is a child and a family who can contribute to the community.

Erin Kragh, who worked with Omar for about three years at the YWCA, says Omar is a bedrock of the YWCA’s mission.

“She’s dedicated 10 years to that organization and has seen it through many times of growth and change,” Kragh says.

Omar remembers what it was like to be a newcomer to the country and not speaking the language. This makes her empathetic to what new families are going through. She says she was lucky because she had a sister living here so she always had a place to stay, food to eat and someone to help her navigate the systems.

Omar moved to Mankato in 2009. She had been living in Atlanta with her family, three young daughters at the time. Her second daughter was born prematurely and then suffered from asthma. The doctor suggested moving to a small town, a place with less air pollution than a city like Atlanta. Omar’s sister lived in Denver, but the high altitude would not have been good for her daughter’s asthma. Omar had a friend in Mankato, and once she learned more about the community she decided to check it out.

She moved to Eagle Lake and was the only recent immigrant at the playground with her young kids.

“Oh, people looked at me,” she says. But she says that everyone was kind to offer advice, especially for winter—what to wear, keep the gas tank full, etc.

She got involved at the Lincoln Community Center and then was invited to a YWCA event. The YWCA director at the time, Anne Ganey, met Omar and then invited her to work there.

Kragh says Omar is an inspiration.

“One thing about Lul is that anybody who has the opportunity to interact with her sees that she’s a natural leader. She inspires people, she draws them in, she motivates them, she’s incredibly compassionate,” Kragh says.

Omar imagines the families she works with like someone going into an ocean without knowing how to swim. Omar is their lifeboat. What most people would consider small things end up making a huge difference in quality of life or communication. For example, one family experienced ice build-up in their doorway, which was not letting the door close completely. Omar told them to use a hair dryer to melt it. Another family did not have keyboarding skills. Not knowing what the “at” symbol is or how to use “shift-2” to create it makes it almost impossible to communicate via email.

“Something so small is of value,” Omar says.

If families find it difficult to locate food or shelter or English language education, life is going to be more of a struggle and feelings of hopelessness may sink in.

“That support is better for the whole community,” Omar says. “Today’s kids are tomorrow’s leaders.”

Still, additional resources are needed. Omar says there’s a critical need for driver’s education training for immigrants, especially the women. The freedom to shop on their own schedule and not have to tote grocery bags on a bus would greatly increase their independence. Funding for driver’s ed classes can be hard for individuals to locate.

Omar sees in the Mankato area tremendous support for the YWCA and its mission.

“Thank you to the community for supporting the YWCA,” she says.