Former Karen refugee living in Austin, Minn., aids other newcomers with legal needs

Maylary Htoo Apolo's empathy for refugees is natural: She's been there.

At 19, she survived a two-month journey through the jungles of Myanmar in Southeast Asia, in search of safety at a distant Karen village after her homeland descended into a dangerous political quagmire.

Along with 11 family members, including children and her 78-year-old father, Apolo hid from murderous soldiers by day and trekked during the dark nights, grabbing morsels of rice and eating fish they occasionally managed to catch.

She suffered malaria and jaundice along the way yet managed to press on.

"It was mountainous and there were river crossings," said Apolo. "It was a very hard walk."

Only 10 months after making it to their destination, the military attacked. Apolo, along with other women and children, fled once more. She lived at the Maw Ker refugee camp in Thailand until 1992, and then at the Mae La camp through 2008.

Her future husband, Mordecai, lost his left leg when stepping on a land mine, but she refused to break their engagement. Instead, when her gravely injured fiancé urged her to find a better man, she responded, "I have found someone new. I found a man with one leg."

Three weeks ago, on July 19, Apolo stood before a dignified assembly at the Minnesota History Center as one of 12 recipients of the 2021 Minnesota Department of Human Services Outstanding Refugee Award, hers in the category of civic engagement.

"I give the honor to my parents," said Apolo. "They were very precious to me."

Apolo, 52, spent the first two decades of her life in Myanmar (formerly Burma), the next 20 years in Thai refugee camps and the past 13 years in the United States. She became a Minnesota resident in 2011, living initially in Worthington and, since 2015, in Austin.

"By the grace of God, yes, things are more manageable," said Apolo, who married her beloved Mordecai at the Maw Ker refugee camp in December 1993, and bore their five children at the Mae La camp.

Smart, enterprising and musical, Apolo explained she studied English as a child beginning in fifth grade, benefited from piano lessons starting at age 10 and, while living in the refugee camps, trained as a teacher.

"In the camps, I taught piano to a lot of kids," said Apolo.

In addition to supporting her husband's efforts to operate one of three Karen grocery stores in Austin, where the Karen population numbers between 500 and 600, Apolo works as a legal assistant for the Austin office of the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM).

Sara Karki, ILCM staff attorney, praises Apolo's attitude and work ethic.

"Maylary is amazing," said Karki. "She is always so joyful — we laugh in the office almost every day, I don't even know why sometimes — and she is positive and pragmatic in her approach to problems."

Added Veena Iyer, ILCM's executive director, "Maylary is completely committed to serving clients.

"Because she's been where they are, she's able to build relationships in a unique way. The two big words are empathy and entrepreneurship," Iyer said.

Since joining the ILCM staff six years ago, initially working at its Worthington office, Apolo has personally handled 400 cases and helped 1,200 people in applying for green cards or U.S. citizenship — the latter a feat Apolo and her entire family have accomplished since being accepted into the U.S. in 2008.

"God chose me to go through difficulties to give witness for other people who suffer like me," said Apolo.

"I never dreamed of this award; I was just trying to survive."

Survival remains a desperate challenge for her family. On the same day she received her civic engagement award, her remaining relatives in Myanmar buried a cousin who was recently killed there, and several others have died or are sick with COVID-19 due to a lack of vaccine and adequate medical care.

While employed at ILCM, Apolo has shepherded daughters Austere, 25, Orchid, 22, and Fairy, 21, plus sons Star Shine, 24, and Dominic, 19. The oldest four have completed either four- or two-year college degrees; Dominic currently studies computer science at St. Cloud State University.

Apolo also makes time for community leadership, having established a program for Karen youth in Worthington, implemented a Taste of Nations event in Austin and served as a women's director of the Karen Baptist Churches in the U.S.A.

"What a blessing it is for all of us that Maylary and her family came to Austin," said Bonnie Rietz, a former Austin mayor and one of Apolo's nominators.

"She is so kind and caring and has helped so many people here — and in Myanmar."

Apolo's homeland and its current political crisis weigh heavily on her heart.

"The situation there is really worse," said Apolo. "People are walking during the rainy season toward the Thai borders and COVID is spreading in the camps. I really need to pray for them."

Yet Apolo's overarching mantra shines through: "Never give up."

Jane Turpin Moore is a freelance writer based in Northfield.