Within eight years of immigrating to the United States from Ghana in 1999, Okang won a prestigious award from Norwalk-based Emcor Group, where he worked, and was featured in national television and magazine advertisements for the company. Still, it’s the West Haven resident’s work opening an orphanage in Africa and founding the multicultural Happy Church in New Haven that makes him most proud. Okang was among 16 immigrants from 14 different countries honored Tuesday at the State Capitol in a ceremony sponsored by the Connecticut Immigrant and Refugee Coalition and Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz. “I feel so good and encouraged. This is one of the happiest days,” said Okang, who was accompanied by his wife, Mary, and their three children. The event included remarks from Bysiewicz and state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and featured a keynote speech from Iranian author and filmmaker Roya Hakakian, who offered immigrants some humorous advice from her own lessons as a new immigrant in America years ago. “Your political and religious beliefs must be summarized into one sentence and be displayed on the bumper of your car, a button on your lapel or a T-shirt,” she said, drawing laughter. The immigrants, from countries as far away as China, Ukraine, Guyana, Greece and the Czech Republic, were honored for making valuable contributions to their communities and their professions. “Each one of the honorees embodies what is so impressive about our state and our country,” Bysiewicz said, adding this is a significant moment in history to have a black president whose father was from Kenya. Blumenthal spoke of his father, who came to the United States from Germany in 1935. “He knew no one. He spoke no English. All he had was the shirt off his back. This country gave him the chance to succeed,” he said. Okang said the successes he has seen would not be possible in his home country of Ghana. He was chosen among 70,000 employees in 2007 to receive Emcor’s Diamond Award. “How on earth can an immigrant rise to that peak? It is so wonderful. Only in America,” he said. Amalia Bzdyra fled Cuba as a young girl after the government burned books at the school where her mother worked. Now a successful attorney who lives in Wallingford, Bzdyra said she was honored to be among the diverse group of immigrants Tuesday. “Everyone has a story,” she said. Bzdyra’s journey from Cuba has taken her far. She now serves as deputy commissioner for the Department of Social Services and previously served as chairwoman of the state’s Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. She said Tuesday she wished her parents could be there to see her receive the honor, but they are in Florida. “They gave up a lot to come here, so I owe a lot back,” she said. In addition to Bzdyra and Okang, the other honorees are: Hariharan Swaminathan of Storrs (Malaysia); Lenka Babuska of Glastonbury (Czech Republic); Wayne Benjamin of Windsor (Guyana); Panteleimon and Kallirroe Fatsis of Killingly (Greece); Tony Hwang of Fairfield (Taiwan-China); Shyling Lee of Farmington (China); Wanda Nowakowska of New Britain (Poland); Niphakone and Soumana Pathammavong of Bridgeport (Laos); Lea Rubenstein of West Hartford (Czech Republic); Carlene Taylor of West Hartford (Jamaica); Agnes M. Vertes of Weston (Hungary); and Olia Marie Yelner of Trumbull (Ukraine). Credit: By Abbe Smith Source: New Haven Register