Expanding opportunity and access for refugee and immigrant youth in the Cedar Valley

In middle school, Joana Lwin often served as a bridge between her parents and their new community, translating at school conferences and helping her family navigate unfamiliar systems.

"Students like myself just really navigate the system on our own,” she said, “just hoping that we understand what the teacher is saying or what the letter is saying.”

Born in a refugee camp after her parents fled civil war in Burma (now Myanmar), Joana resettled with her family in Waterloo in 2011. Growing up in the Cedar Valley, she saw how language barriers, transportation, and limited access to information shaped a young person’s experience in school, and how support could change that experience.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Northern Iowa, Joana turned that insight into action. Three years ago, she helped found the Refugee and Immigrant Youth Organization (RIYO), ensuring students have guidance, belonging, and support.

“I didn’t want everything to go away,” she said. “I wanted to make sure that the students who are in similar situations to me also get the opportunity.”

RIYO provides academic support, leadership development, and coaching that help students begin to see what’s possible.

“They’re looking forward to coming to school on RIYO days,” Joana said. “It’s really important that students start thinking about themselves and their future. Most of the time, they don’t have that opportunity.”

Through partnerships with local schools and community organizations, RIYO connects students and families to resources that strengthen the broader community.

“They’re not just with us,” Joana said. “We’re having them in our program to help them connect with other resources that might be very helpful for them and their family.”

The Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa has invested in RIYO’s work over the past two years through grantmaking, helping provide stability as the organization grows. 

“By the Community Foundation investing in us, we are able to invest in the over 100 youth that we serve,” Joana said. “My dream is to continue providing supports for students who come to Waterloo and call it home.”

When young people have access to opportunity, they strengthen not only their own future, but the entire region.