Connect with us

Indianapolis, IN

Burmese Americans achieve record college enrollment

Published

on

Burmese Americans achieve record college enrollment


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A groundbreaking study first shared in August highlighted the educational progress of Burmese Americans.

A 2023 study from The Burmese American Community Institute showed that the college-going rate for Burmese Americans was at a stable 88%, consistent with pre-pandemic levels. Its 2024 study showed the rate surged to an impressive 94.4%, with 96.9% of students staying in school.

Elaisa Vahnie, executive director of the Indianapolis-based social services organization, told News 8, “Our initial commitment to service was more along with education and the long-term development of individuals, families, and the community. It was to make sure that newcomers and refugees, as quickly as possible, become integrated and self-sufficient economically, but also part of productive society and contributing to the community.”

Nearly 200,000 Burmese refugees have entered the United States, with over 30,000 calling Indiana home, according to a study conducted by researchers at the 2024 Upward College Program.

Advertisement

The Burmese American Community Institute works to foster a culture of empowerment through education. “We saw the COVID-19 pandemic, and we all saw the urgent response that was needed to be able to respond to the urgent needs in the community,” Vahnie said.

Vahnie emphasizes that global catastrophes such as the pandemic and the 2021 coup in Burma have fostered resilience within the Burmese American community. “Those global crises have challenged us to be able to be responsive to welcome and resettle them here. We feel fortunate to be part of that welcoming community by utilizing our unique experience to welcome and resettle families here so they are successful in starting their new lives. We saw they were not ready for college, specifically linguistically. They did not have opportunities back home in Malaysia or any second country where they came to have access to formal education. When they arrive here, they are placed at a grade level based on their age, not their academic background.”

The Burmese American Community Institute has received a remarkable 100% post-secondary education enrollment rate for students who have completed its Upward College Program. Their focus is to continue to support newly arrived non-Americans through programs including English language and civic education, naturalization assistance, and employment to integrate into American society successfully.

Vahnie said, “A study found that non-native English speakers, like refugees and Burmese, take at least four to six years to gain complete English academic skills. Meanwhile, developing English conversation skills may take two to five years. Therefore, we designed this program where students can engage.”

Advertisement



Source link

Indianapolis, IN

New Prime Video doc: Kyle Larson’s maniacal mission to race Indy 500, Coca-Cola 600 in same day

Published

on

New Prime Video doc: Kyle Larson’s maniacal mission to race Indy 500, Coca-Cola 600 in same day


play

  • A new Prime Video documentary chronicles Kyle Larson’s attempts to complete “The Double.”
  • “The Double” involves racing in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
  • Only four other drivers have attempted the 1,100-mile feat, with Tony Stewart being the only one to finish both races.
  • Larson’s attempts in 2024 and 2025 were hindered by weather, penalties, and crashes.

INDIANAPOLIS — Despite knowing the odds were against him, that it would take perfect weather, impeccable timing, the travel gods aligning and everything he had within his soul, Kyle Larson went for “The Double” twice, a feat in racing only four other drivers have attempted.

“The Double” is a maniacal mission to complete 1,100 miles in one day at two of the most iconic races in cities more than 400 miles apart — the Indianapolis 500 first, then NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 in Concord, N.C.

Advertisement

Larson’s two-time attempt at “The Double” in 2024 and 2025 is the subject of a new Prime Video documentary, “Kyle Larson vs The Double,” which premieres May 21.

The film delves into the incredible challenges Larson faces, on and off the track, as he goes for one of the most elusive triumphs in racing — from 500 miles in an Indy car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to jumping on a plane to North Carolina to compete for 600 miles in a stock car at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“The logistical challenge of ‘The Double’ is staggering,” Prime Video says in the film’s press release, “managing the extreme physical toll of heat, dehydration, G-forces and mental exhaustion.”

Before Larson, four other drivers took on “The Double” — John Andretti in 1994; Robby Gordon in 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004; Tony Stewart in 1999 and 2001; and Kurt Busch in 2014.

Advertisement

Stewart is the only driver to complete all 1,100 miles, finishing sixth in the Indy 500 and third in the Coca-Cola 600.

In Larson’s 2024 run at “The Double,” rain delayed the Indy 500, causing him to miss the start of the Coca-Cola 600. He finished 18th in Indy and was replaced by Justin Allgaier at Charlotte. Larson competed in both races in 2025, but crashes dashed his hopes of finishing 1,100 miles in one day.

The film goes beyond Larson’s mission on the track, taking a personal look at his life and career, his mindset, his sacrifices and the people around him who cheered him on.

Advertisement

“Sometimes, the most compelling stories in sports aren’t about crossing the finish line,” Prime Video says, “they’re about the sheer will and determination it takes to compete at the highest level.”

Watch ‘Kyle Larson vs The Double’ trailer

Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on X: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com.





Source link

Continue Reading

Indianapolis, IN

Franklin Middle School’s ‘Welcome to Reality’ event prepares students for adulthood

Published

on

Franklin Middle School’s ‘Welcome to Reality’ event prepares students for adulthood


FRANKLIN, Ind. (WISH) — Franklin Community Middle School will host its annual Welcome to Reality event on Friday, offering eighth-grade students a hands-on, immersive experience designed to prepare them for the financial and personal responsibilities of adulthood.

Welcome to Reality is an interactive simulation that places students in the role of a 28-year-old working adult. Prior to the event, students select a career based on their grade point average and are assigned a corresponding salary.

During the event, students navigate through a series of stations including housing, transportation, utilities, and food. Students are required to make real-life financial decisions and manage a check registry to track expenses.

“This event is absolutely pivotal in the transition to high school for our students,” Monica Anderson, FCMS school counselor said. “The students experience, in real time, how their education can impact their future.”

Advertisement

Community members play a critical role in the simulation by facilitating transactions and serving as tour guides for students throughout the event.

The event is scheduled in groups throughout the school day:

  • 8:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
  • 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
  • 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.



Source link

Continue Reading

Indianapolis, IN

Even without a garden, you can get farm-fresh produce in Indianapolis

Published

on

Even without a garden, you can get farm-fresh produce in Indianapolis


play

Locally grown food is typically more sustainable and fresher than imported groceries, but even in Indiana, where almost two thirds of the state is farmland, local veggies can be hard to find.

Some Indianapolis residents grow fruits and vegetables in their own backyards. Others might join a community garden. Many frequent the local network of farmers markets.

Advertisement

At least half a dozen community supported agriculture groups, known commonly as CSAs, provide another way to shrink the divide between Indianapolis dwellers and their food systems. From Greenwood to Noblesville, neighbors have banded together to create local agriculture cooperatives, buying food in bulk from nearby farmers — some even within city limits.

How CSAs work

Every week during the growing season, the Fisher family, Amish farmers in Montezuma, pack blue mail bins full of cucumbers, carrots and corn and send them to Indianapolis. A driver totes the bins about 80 miles east to the Irvington CSA, which has been connecting neighborhood residents with farm- to- Irvington produce for almost two decades. 

“It connects me to the food I eat,” Alyssa Chase, an Irvington CSA coordinator said. “I’ve been to the farm. I know exactly where it’s grown, and I know whose hands are picking it.”

The CSA model is simple. Participants pay farmers, usually smaller scale growers, an upfront fee to help cover season start-up costs. Then each week, the customers receive a delivery.

Advertisement

There’s no guarantee of bounty. CSA members might be blessed with an abundance of greens one week, but they also share with growers the risks involved with farming.

Not only does the local delivery model provide urbanites with fresh food and family farms some much-needed support, it’s more eco-friendly than the grocery store. A bustling network of refrigerated planes and trucks import 90 percent of Indiana’s produce, said Rachel Brandenburg, a food distribution manager at the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.

Indianapolis area farmers also offer slightly non-traditional, more tailored CSA programs, via monthly subscription boxes. Farmers markets offer a way to purchase local produce a la carte (even in the winter). Free food stands like in Fletcher Place and the White River State Park,’s U-Pick garden offer local produce at no cost.

“We’ve got a pretty robust system of urban growers here in Indy, some really shining examples who take the mission to their farms, the mission of feeding their neighbors,” Brandenburg said.

Advertisement

Starting in May each week at the Irvington CSA, members stop by the Downey Avenue Christian Church to pick up fresh produce. The first month can bring greens lettuce, kale and Swiss chard. Next sweet red strawberries appear in the bins, then cucumbers followed by carrots, squash, tomatoes and corn as summer turns to fall.

How to find fresh food near you

The Irvington CSA eventually spilled over into Greenwood, which now runs a separate CSA program delivering produce from the Fisher Farm to the southern suburbs. 

Similar programs have popped up across much of Indianapolis:

Kheprw’s Community Controlled Food Initiative offers year-round local produce pick-ups in Midtown, and Tuttle Orchards delivers subscription produce boxes across several area locations, with weekly pick ups at North Mass Boulder, Irvington Vinyl and Books, JCC Indianapolis, Geist Coffee, Wasson Nursery and Indiana Artisan.

Warfleigh resident Ben Matthews delivers his CSA boxes locally — by bike.

Advertisement

Bountiful Farm and Floral, a small urban farm, delivers produce directly to the homes of Irvington members. And Soul Food Project offers CSA delivery and pick up at the Binford Farmers Market, plus at its local farms in Irvington and Martindale-Brightwood.

IndyStar’s environmental reporting is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

Sophie Hartley is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach her at sophie.hartley@indystar.com or on X at @sophienhartley.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending