Bhuwan Pyakurel : A Nepali-Bhutanese Refugee Making History

In Reynoldsburg, Ohio, Lidia visits the home of Bhuwan Pyakurel and his wife Dil, joining them, and their son Dev, for a celebration with friends of the family. She helps Bhuwan and Dil prepare a traditional Bhutanese meal for the occasion.

A Traditional Bhutanese Meal 

At his U.S. naturalization ceremony in 2016, Nepali-Bhutanese immigrant Bhuwan Pyakurel heard the federal judge say new citizens had two responsibilities: to vote and to run for public office. Bhuwan took those words to heart and became the country’s first elected Nepali-Bhutanese official at his 2020 swearing-in as a new city councilman in Reynoldsburg, Ohio.

Bhuwan’s swearing in represented the end of a long journey. He spent 18 years in a Nepali refugee camp with his family after the country’s government forced them out of Bhutan. Bhuwan met his wife at that camp before they were finally given refuge in the U.S.

View photos of Lidia's visit with Bhuwan Pyakurel

When he's not making history on the city council, Bhuwan also works as an interpretive services coordinator for a local community health center in nearby Columbus. This work allows him to continue carrying out his hope to inspire younger generations, especially the Bhutanese, to follow their dreams: "We became a victim because of not having political rights. And until now, the community did not have anyone to look at to say ‘OK, this is possible.’ My ultimate goal out of this is that more and more young generations from all across the community, especially (the) Bhutanese community, will look at me and start saying, ‘OK, this could be done. This is possible, and I can also serve this nation in this capacity.’"