One of the Iowa delegates to the Democratic National Convention says his life story shows the potency of the American dream. Aiddy Phomvisay fled Laos with his family in 1975. In 1979, he was a refugee in America who couldn’t speak English and didn’t know the culture. His family was adopted by the United Methodist Church in Alta and he says that made all the difference. Aiddy, who is now 28, is an Iowa State University graduate who’s been teaching eighth grade history in Ames for the past four years. He became a naturalized U-S citizen in 1998 — and this past week, he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Aiddy says he wants to do what he can to give back and make other’s lives better.Unlike many of his generation who were born in the U-S, Aiddy is excited about voting this November in the presidential election. Aiddy was one of four minority members of the Iowa delegation at that Democratic National Convention who reported Iowa’s votes for party nominee Al Gore.
