Join the Science Center of Iowa along with local cultural and civic partners to engage in learning about other cultures and ethnic backgrounds by sharing with others to help create unity through understanding. These elevated discussions are included with SCI Total Experience tickets and General SCI Admission, and enhance the experience of SCI's summer traveling exhibit RACE: Are We So Different?
Join the Discussion on Saturday, July 10 to meet:
Chandra Rizal and Manoj Aryal
Chandra arrived in Des Moines last year as a refugee from Bhutan and Manoj came to the U.S. as a student from Nepal. They share a language and grew up in the same country, although their family stories are very different. They both work with local organization LanguageTech, Inc. LTI serves the Central Iowa market in all things related to language: teaching, interpreting and translating in over 20 different languages.
Mone Aye
Mone Aye arrived in Des Moines last year as a Karen refugee from Burma. Although she was born in a Thai refugee camp and has never been to her family's home country, that country's culture still defines her. Mone also works locally for LanguageTech, Inc.
Ruth Ann Gains
Ruth Ann Gains works within the Des Moines Public Schools and recently has become a Candidate for House of Representatives-District 65. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Drama/Speech from Clarke College and Master of Arts in Dramatic Art from the University of California-Santa Barbara. Ruth Ann has a long list of accomplishments, including: Iowa Teacher of the Year (1998-99), National Teachers Hall of Fame (2003), Iowa African American Hall of Fame (2004), Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame (2007), Martin Luther King JR. Lifetime Achievement Award.
Deidre Howard
Deidre Howard's background of service and volunteering in nursing homes, minimum security women's prisons and at risk urban schools' after school programs has greatly influenced her platform as 2009 Miss Black Iowa. During her reign as Miss Black Iowa, Deidre commits herself and the state of Iowa to her platform entitled, P.A.T.H.S.; Preparing Adolescents to Harness Success. She will work with the state, organizations, and educational institutions collaboratively to develop programming for this platform.
Antonio Banuelos
Born in Mexico in 1973, Antonio Banuelos moved to the United States when he was 18 years old. In 2002, he founded MAYAN Business Solutions along with his wife, Mayra, providing translation and interpretation services, mostly English-Spanish in legal and medical environments in the Des Moines area. Antonio and Mayra are members of the American Translators Association (ATA) and Charter Members of the Iowa Interpreters and Translators Association. This year, he was elected the Executive Committee of the Iowa Knights of Columbus and is State Director for Cultural.