Excerpt:
Maxwell Chikuta's native country had devolved into a civil war that claimed millions of lives and displaced millions more when he decided he had no choice but to leave the Democratic Republic of Congo and seek asylum in America.
He landed in Portland in 2003 and ended up in the city's Oxford Street shelter, where the staff connected him with General Assistance vouchers that enabled him to get an apartment, buy food and take English classes while he waited for the federal government to grant him a permit to work.
Chikuta went on to earn associates, bachelor's and master's degrees, become an American citizen and get a job as an engineer at a hospital in Portland.