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W o r c e s t e r 3 0 0 : C i t y o f I n n o v a t o r s 57 founded to help out refugees from Vietnam, SEAC has expanded to help arrivals from more than 20 different nationalities and ethnicities from across Asia. "Vietnamese are born entrepreneurs," says Sawyer. "So we can ask people, what kind of skill do you have in your country? And from there, we look for opportunities for them to be able to start their own business." Education is also essential in improving economic outlook. At SEACMA, English classes are taught to new immigrants to help them learn how to conduct business in their new country. But children and teen migrants also face educational hurdles as they enter their new public school system, which can be an obstacle to their development. "It's really tough for the children to transition into public school, because the school places them according to their age, not their education level," said Kaska Yawo, who arrived in Worcester in 1998 as a refugee from the West African country of Liberia. To help remedy the situation, Yawo co-founded African Community Education, or ACE, which provides courses for African migrants and refugees in math, science, and English to catch students up to speed. ACE currently has over 200 students from 13 African countries, many of whom have gone on to go to college, and many African-owned businesses in the area now contribute to the program. "Some of them have even bought a home," said Yawo. "ey have gotten married and contribute to the economy of the city and the state." He said he plans to expand services, provide workshops for students and refer them to other services in the community. Today, Zuniga doesn't need to travel far to get Mexican food – he owns his own restaurant, Tacos Mexico, in Auburn, with plans to open a new location in Worcester's Park Ave. "It makes me very happy to come from another country, and to be able to be a part of this town," he said. "To be able to help out in some way." – Alexander MacDougall 1922-2021 Worcester immigrants: Countries of origin After historically coming from Europe, the city's immigrant population starting with the 2010 census was primarily from Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia. By census year, here are the top countries of origin for Worcester's immigant population. 1870 1. Ireland (70%) 2. Canada (14%) 3. England (7%) 4. Germany (3%) 5. Scotland (2%) 6. Nova Scotia (1%) 7. New Brunswick (1%) Source: U.S. Census Bureau 1890 1. Ireland (43%) 2. Canada (21%) 3. Sweden (17%) 4. England (9%) 5. Germany (2%) 6. Russia (2%) 7. Scotland (2%) 8. Norway (1%) 9. Italy (1%) 1910 1. Ireland (22%) 2. Russia (18%) 3. Canada (17%) 4. Sweden (17%) 5. England (6%) 6. Italy (6%) 7. Turkey (5%) 8. Finland (3%) 9. Scotland (2%) 10. Germany (1%) 1930 1. Canada (18%) 2. Sweden (15%) 3. Ireland (14%) 4. Lithuania (9%) 5. Italy (9%) 6. Poland (7%) 7. England (6%) 8. Russia (5%) 9. Scotland (2%) 10. Finland (2%) 1950 1. Canada (18%) 2. Sweden (11%) 3. Ireland (11%) 4. Italy (10%) 5. Lithuania (10%) 6. Poland (8%) 7. USSR (6%) 8. Asia, unclassified (5%) 9. England and Wales (5%) 10. Finland (3%) 1970 1. Canada (14%) 2. Italy (12%) 3. Poland (8%) 4. Greece (7%) 5. Ireland (7%) 6. United Kingdom (7%) 7. USSR (7%) 8. Lithuania (7%) 9. Europe, unclassified (6%) 10. Sweden (6%) 1990 1. Vietnam (10%) 2. Poland (7%) 3. Canada (7%) 4. Italy (6%) 5. Greece (6%) 6. United Kingdom (5%) 7. Ireland (3%) 8. Not Reported (3%) 9. Dominican Republic (3%) 10. El Salvador (3%) 2010 1. Brazil (10%) 2. Vietnam (10%) 3. Ghana (9%) 4. Dominican Republic (7%) 5. Albania (5%) 6. China (5%) 7. El Salvador (4%) 8. Poland (3%) 9. India (2%) 10. Dominica (2%) Immigration by population chart 1910 0 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000 1930 1950 1970 1990 2010 2020 145,926 195,311 203,486 176,617 169,759 181,810 206,518 48,492 51,047 33,786 17,258 15,072 35,304 43,369 Worcester population compared with immigrant population, 1910-2020 Kaska Yawo, African Community Education