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Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
National
Elvia Malagón

Immigration advocates among ‘Leaders for a New Chicago’ awardees

Chicago Immigration SunTimes Pat Nabong
Nasir Zakaria, executive director of the Rohingya Cultural Center in the West Rogers Park neighborhood, was honored by the Field Foundation of Illinois and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation as one of 10 “Leaders for a New Chicago” and will receive a $25,000 gift that can be used for anything. (Pat Nabong/Sun-Times file photo)

About 10 years ago, Nasir Zakaria arrived in the United States as a refugee from Myanmar without a formal education as he tried to learn English.

His struggles navigating a new life propelled him to start the Rohingya Cultural Center three years after he settled in Chicago. Today, the center, located at 2740 W. Devon Ave., serves about 600 families.

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