Forest Service Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center students are vocal in their praise for what the program gives them. But too often the strengths, intelligence and unique talents students bring to Job Corps, their communities and the country are overlooked. 

Take the case of Boxelder Job Corps graduate Oballa Oballa. Since arriving in America at age 20, Oballa has focused his energy not only on becoming the archetype of the immigrant success story, but on giving back to the country that has embraced him.

Oballa’s story is harsh. He is a native of Gambella, Ethiopia, and Dec. 13, 2003, is branded in his memory. On that day, at the age of eight, Oballa watched as 424 members of his tribe were slaughtered in a span of 12 hours in a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing. Oballa helped pick up the bodies. Along with his remaining family, he walked barefoot for three weeks to reach a Kenyan refugee camp that became his home for eight years.

In December 2013, Oballa arrived in the United States. He learned about Job Corps through a chance meeting with a fellow Ethiopian student. His social worker denied his request to enroll in Job Corps. but Oballa did not give up. After being assigned a new social worker, her first words of advice to him were, “Go to Job Corps.”

In the intervening seven years, Oballa has graduated from Boxelder Job Corps with a certified nursing assistant certificate, earned an associate’s degree in Human Services from Riverland Community College and, this month, will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and Psychology from the College of St. Scholastica. To pay for his education, Oballa worked as a nursing assistant and heath unit coordinator at the Mayo Clinic an average of 50 hours per week. 

Oballa says that Boxelder Job Corps is the best thing that ever happened to him. He is particularly grateful for the role that staff members Andy Kalmbach, Jodi Hozler and Jennifer Hamman played in is his life. “Oballa believes that this is the greatest nation on earth and that others can achieve the same things he has,” said Hozler.

As a college student, Oballa regularly attended his town’s city council meeting. One day he walked into the office of Tom Stiehm, mayor of Austin, Minnesota, and asked, “How can I help?” Many of Austin’s jobs rise out of the area’s food-processing industry and 17% of its population is immigrants.

Stiehm responded that no immigrant had ever asked him this question. Oballa replied, “Well, the history is different now. We are changing the history of Austin.” Stiehm immediately appointed Oballa to Austin’s Human Rights Commission.

As a working student, Oballa carved out 20 hours a week to volunteer for issues close to his heart. He used his platform as president of LeadMN, which represents 180,000 Minnesota community and technical college students, to address the issue of food insecurity. As a refugee, Oballa is acutely aware of the issue of hunger. “The biggest issue in the refugee camp was access to food and water,” he says. “Once my family went for three straight days without eating.”

As an American college student, Oballa never imagined that he would be forced to make a choice between eating or paying for a textbook. "I hid my food insecurity because I didn't want to tell anyone that I was going through that,” said Oballa. To help address the issue, he set up multiple food banks on campus. 

Oballa’s efforts to address community hunger did not end there. He garnered statewide, bipartisan support in the Minnesota Legislature to pass the Hunger Free Campus Act in May 2019. This act provides a roadmap for colleges to follow as they work to support students experiencing food insecurity. Hunger Solutions recognized Oballa for his work to pass the Hunger Free Campus Act. LeadMN recorded his hopes about ending food insecurity at the recognition event.

Oballa recently made history as the first person of color, first immigrant and first refugee to be elected to Austin, Minnesota, city council on Nov. 3, 2020. A BBC News reporter even made a trek from Washington, D.C., to Minnesota to interview him. Watch his swearing in ceremony.

As a member of Austin’s Human Rights Commission, Oballa understands the issues impacting his community. His priorities are now focused on housing, expanding affordable childcare and bringing Austin more “21st century jobs.” Last September, the Office of the Minnesota Department of Human Resources honored Oballa with a Young Leader Award for his efforts to make Minnesota a better place to live for all its citizens.

When asked about his thoughts on the divisiveness in the country and America’s future, Oballa stated, “This is not America.” Speaking from his personal experience in politics, Oballa shared, “I see people from both sides of the aisle who want to help others. Politics should not divide us. We must take America to the next level.”

Most people would be patting themselves on the back at this point. But in a one-on-one conversation with Oballa, what strikes you is his gentleness, modesty and care for his fellow man. When asked what makes him such a successful leader, he responded, “I learned from my mother as a child to never call yourself a leader. Let people recognize your hard work and they will follow you when they see you doing good things.”

Along with his career, Oballa’s personal life has blossomed. On Dec. 17, 2019, he took his oath to become a U.S. citizen. He also married his childhood sweetheart Awili Bona. She, too, is from Gambella and is a Job Corps graduate. Oballa and Awili recently welcomed their beautiful baby girl, Manamanywa, into the world. 

Oballa is driven and has to be reminded to relax and slow down. “I like working hard and thinking about big things always,” he said. “I feel like if I spend too much time relaxing, I will be delaying some of my goals.”

Undoubtedly, accomplishing those goals will improve the quality of life for all Americans. Oballa believes that he is fortunate to be in this country, but America is just as fortunate to have him.