Can you share more about yourself and where did you grow up?
My name is Newyouman. I was born in Worthington, MN, and have lived here most of my life. I was raised by a single mother who worked tirelessly for her kids. Education was always the main center of my life – I was extremely encouraged to pursue an education to change my life.
My mom is Anuak and was born in Sudan. She was raised by her parents, and she always spoke about how they were so loving. Unfortunately, they passed away when she was young. My mom ran away from war as a refugee to Kenya, and then became a young parent. She eventually came to South Dakota where she would walk through the cold just to get to work, working endlessly to make ends meet. Because of that, it drives me to succeed, get an education and become an entrepreneur, become my own boss and support my own family.
“Growing up in a small town, it’s hard to see leaders that look like you. I have to be more inspired and more driven based on what my mom told me, more so than by being inspired by leaders that look like me.”
How does being Anuak influence your life?
We come from a small tribe. There are only around 250,000-300,000 Anuak people in the world.
We don’t see a lot of successors around us, who are descendants of our tribe that escaped the violence, survived, and went on to succeed in different areas of life. I want to be an example for young Anuak kids, so they can see that they can get through those challenges. We are seeing our parents trying to make ends meet. I want them to be reminded that they can keep moving, pursuing what they want to pursue, in hopes of supporting their families and supporting themselves.
What made you want to start a baking business?
In 2020 during Covid, I was really bored and at home a lot. I started making homemade baked goods from scratch. My family really liked it and enjoyed my desserts. I really started enjoying this and wanted to start my business, but due to some family events I couldn’t start it at that time. After my high school graduation, I had more time and launched New’s Cup of Delights.
What’s been the most exciting part of running your business and being involved in community work?
The most exciting part of running my business is seeing my progress. From the beginning, to be honest, my work didn’t look the prettiest. Over time, there was more consistency with more orders. It started to look better and taste better. I continued to persevere and push through not knowing whether or not it would work out. I continued to keep going and just thanked God, who helped me to stay persistent through all things.
I like to see the joy and reactions on people’s faces when they receive their orders and experience my art. In my business, people are in need of desserts for special occasions and events. With MNSeeds, an organization I volunteer with, people are in need of health care, housing, education and so on. So, I’m just hoping to see the same reactions when MNSeeds delivers for community needs just like my business. With the skills that we have, we can provide something of value, and that’s where I connect the dots. It’s been on my mind to use baking to make community change and bring people together to have a positive way of connecting over tough times and tough conversations.
What are you looking forward to by being a part of the Youthprise board?
I’m looking forward to the opportunity that has been given to me, to elevate my skills. We are still navigating life with everything going on around us. I’ve been able to participate in workshops and events, and now I am a part of Youthprise’s Strategic Investments Committee. There are opportunities for me to grow and learn in ways that will allow me to do more for my community and myself.
