Paul Okot came to this country as a refugee from southern Sudan when he was 7 years old. He still vividly remembers landing at JFK airport in New York and going through customs.

"They asked me, 'Where are you coming from?' I said America. And they said 'Where you going?' And I said America. And I didn't understand the question, but all I knew was America. That's where I needed to be."

In the 20 years since, Okot graduated from Bates College, started his own business helping other refugees and immigrants with interpretation and other services, and ran for a seat on the school board in Portland, Maine. He shares his story with Here & Now's Meghna Chakrabarti.