Faith has not always been a constant in my life. I grew up Muslim, learning prayers and religious practices early on. However, there was about seven years when I lost my connection with faith. I felt disconnected, questioning the role of religion in my life and struggling to find meaning in traditional practices. I recited prayers from memory, but they felt distant—like words without emotion. I searched for something during this time but didn’t know what it was. This past year, something changed. I found myself returning to faith—not because of obligation or tradition, but because I experienced a sense of tranquility, groundedness, and human connection through it. Faith was no longer just about rituals; it became a source of peace. It reminded me that I was not alone in my struggles. It became a refuge during difficult moments, offering me strength in ways I had not felt before. An important turning point in my faith journey came through a Christian friend. Despite our different religious backgrounds, she had an unshakable connection to God that deeply inspired me. One day, I told her I struggled with prayer, feeling like I was repeating words without meaning. She said, “Prayers are what you need and what is in your heart.” That changed everything for me. For the first time in years, I spoke to God directly, not through memorized verses, but from the depths of my heart. I asked for guidance, peace, and clarity. And I felt heard. Through this experience, I realized that faith is not about perfection but connection. It’s about finding strength in something greater than myself. Returning to faith helped me overcome personal struggles, doubts, and feelings of isolation. It reminded me that I don’t need to rely on intermediaries to speak to God; I can open my heart and trust that I am heard. Since returning to faith, I have found new ways to strengthen and deepen my spiritual journey. I take time to reflect on religious texts and my personal relationship with God. I have also connected with others who, like me, have wrestled with doubt and found their way back. These conversations remind me that faith is not a straight path but a journey full of struggles and moments of clarity. This journey has shaped the way I see faith, resilience, and community. I have learned that even in moments of doubt, faith can find us again. It is a source of comfort and strength, allowing us to overcome life’s challenges with purpose and hope. Today, I stand firm in my faith—not because it was expected of me, but because I chose it for myself. And that choice has made all the difference.

Growing up in a refugee camp, I lived among people from more than 28 countries in Africa with different languages, beliefs, and cultures. Education was the only hope I had living in the camp, but it was tough to get an education. There were 20 primary schools and four secondary schools to serve over 150,000 children. Therefore, only 3% of primary school graduates could continue their education, leaving almost everyone out of high school, causing many to turn to drugs to forget life's problems. We did not have electricity at home, so I worked hard on my homework under streetlights, and I was fortunate to graduate with high scores and get a scholarship to study high school in the city. In 2016, my family was lucky enough to be sponsored to relocate to the United States as refugees. As we start our new life again, my family struggles to assimilate into the American culture. As soon as I came, I started pursuing my dream of attaining higher education. When I thought about what I would study in college, I first wanted to study Political Science because of my advocacy role in the camp. Since moving to the U.S., I have been active in the Seattle community advocating for immigrant and refugee rights, and I know I want to continue to advocate for refugees. Later, I decided to change my major to Computer Science because I felt I could change people through technology. People often ask me, "what changed you most when you came to the U.S.?" I always reply with, "information changed me." Access to computers, the internet, and boundless information has motivated me to learn more about the interaction between people and technology and the power of information. Learning computer languages such as Java was difficult at first. However, I soon became passionate about coding, and it felt magical when I created an Emergency Simulator and a Tetris game from scratch. From when I got my first computer (P.C.) in 2017 until today, Computers have changed my life completely. Almost everything I do today; school, work, and communication; I use computers all day. Unfortunately, the refugee and immigrant communities are left behind in these fast-paced changes. In 2018, I started tech4REFUGEES, a program to help teach and inspire young refugees and immigrants to explore technology and basic computer skills. I started going to the East African and Somali community centers to tutor and mentor over 40 middle/high school students each quarter in Math and coding during after school program. I transferred to S.U with a 3.7 GPA in 2020. I am currently pursuing a Computer Science major and a Business minor. As the first person in my family to finish high school or earn a degree, I previously could not have imagined that I would have the chance to attend a world-class institution such as S.U. Getting this scholarship would help me hone my tech and entrepreneurial skills and think less of bills. Coming from a refugee camp to a megacity was challenging to navigate the many complex systems in this country. That is why I want to use technology to help refugees and immigrants be informed and access education and resources. Getting an education will inspire me and offer me the skills to expand my thinking on how we can solve global problems with technology and dignity for all people in our lives today and in the future.

Growing up in a refugee camp, I lived among people from more than 28 countries in Africa with different languages, beliefs, and cultures. Education was the only hope I had living in the camp, but it was tough to get an education. There were 20 primary schools and four secondary schools to serve over 150,000 children. Therefore, only 3% of primary school graduates could continue their education, leaving almost everyone out of high school, causing many to turn to drugs to forget life's problems. We did not have electricity at home, so I worked hard on my homework under streetlights, and I was fortunate to graduate with high scores and get a scholarship to study high school in the city. In 2016, my family was lucky enough to be sponsored to relocate to the United States as refugees. As we start our new life again, my family struggles to assimilate into the American culture. As soon as I came, I started pursuing my dream of attaining higher education. When I thought about what I would study in college, I first wanted to study Political Science because of my advocacy role in the camp. Since moving to the U.S., I have been active in the Seattle community advocating for immigrant and refugee rights, and I know I want to continue to advocate for refugees. Later, I decided to change my major to Computer Science because I felt I could change people through technology. People often ask me, "what changed you most when you came to the U.S.?" I always reply with, "information changed me." Access to computers, the internet, and boundless information has motivated me to learn more about the interaction between people and technology and the power of information. Learning computer languages such as Java was difficult at first. However, I soon became passionate about coding, and it felt magical when I created an Emergency Simulator and a Tetris game from scratch. From when I got my first computer (P.C.) in 2017 until today, Computers have changed my life completely. Almost everything I do today; school, work, and communication; I use computers all day. Unfortunately, the refugee and immigrant communities are left behind in these fast-paced changes. In 2018, I started tech4REFUGEES, a program to help teach and inspire young refugees and immigrants to explore technology and basic computer skills. I started going to the East African and Somali community centers to tutor and mentor over 40 middle/high school students each quarter in Math and coding during after school program. I transferred to S.U with a 3.7 GPA in 2020. I am currently pursuing a Computer Science major and a Business minor. As the first person in my family to finish high school or earn a degree, I previously could not have imagined that I would have the chance to attend a world-class institution such as S.U. Getting this scholarship would help me hone my tech and entrepreneurial skills and think less of bills. Coming from a refugee camp to a megacity was challenging to navigate the many complex systems in this country. That is why I want to use technology to help refugees and immigrants be informed and access education and resources. Getting an education will inspire me and offer me the skills to expand my thinking on how we can solve global problems with technology and dignity for all people in our lives today and in the future.

Kindly find the essay link below. Happy New year, Thank You

I was born in Somalia in 1997 during a civil war. My parents were separated, and my mother couldn't live with us amidst the war and decided to move us to safety. So when I was three months old, my mother moved us (me and my older brother) to our neighboring county Kenya to seek refuge. I grew up in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya. I lived among people from more than 28 countries in Africa with different languages, beliefs, and cultures. I learned five languages and always tried to fit in with these communities as I am now trying to fit in here in the US. I realize now that I was lucky to grow up in an environment with diverse perspectives, and I gained a deep respect for different world viewpoints. Education was the only hope I had living in the camp, but it was tough to get it. There were twenty primary schools and four secondary schools to serve over 150,000 children. Therefore, only 3% of primary school graduates could continue their education, leaving almost everyone out of high school and causing many to turn to drugs to forget life's problems. I was very fortunate to get both primary and secondary school. After high school, I had no college to look forward to, and I was not legally allowed to leave the camp to work in the Kenyan employment sector because refugees are perceived to be a "threat" and "terror" in the community. In 2016, my family was lucky enough to be sponsored to relocate to the United States as refugees. As soon as I came, I pursued my lifelong dream of getting a higher education. However, when I thought about what I would study in college, I wanted to study Political Science because of my advocacy role in the camp. Since moving to the US, I have been active in the Seattle community advocating for immigrant and refugee rights, and I know I want to continue to support refugees. Later, I decided to change my major to Computer Science because I felt I could make a lot more change for people globally through technology. However, when I first came to the US, my family and I struggled to get used to the different systems and access social services because of the language barrier and lack of interactive and accessible websites with the right resources and information. The lack of centralized information websites for refugees caused us to research many different websites to get the help we needed. However, my family was fortunate because I could speak a little English and knew basic internet surfacing but, this is not the case for many new immigrants and refugees. New refugees and immigrants have both language barriers and, most of the time, do not know how to access the internet and do not have the tech devices to do so. That is why in 2018, I decided to create tech4REFUGEES, a program to educate new immigrants and refugees about basic computer skills (older folks). In the same year, I made a curriculum for 40 middle and high school students on math and coding tutoring help. My goal is to change tech4REFUGEES to a non-profit organization after my undergrad. I hope that tech4REFUGEES will center the correct information and resources that new immigrants and refugees will need. Also, I hope to make it a hub for learning and create opportunities to spark young immigrants and refugees to pursue STEM fields such as computer science. My life experiences taught me to create opportunities for myself and others when there are none.

My name is Afrikaan, and I am a Somali refugee from Kenya. I grew up in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya, where even primary education was not common. Education was the only hope I had living in the camp, but it was challenging to get it. There were 20 primary schools and four high schools to serve over 150,000 children. Therefore, only 3% of primary school graduates could continue their education, leaving almost everyone out of high school, and causing many to turn to drugs to forget life's problems. We did not have electricity at home, so I worked hard on my homework under streetlights, and I was fortunate to graduate with high scores and get into high school. After high school, I had no college to look forward to, and I was not allowed to leave the camp to work in the Kenyan employment sector because refugees are perceived to be a "threat" and "terror" in the community. In 2016, my family was lucky enough to be sponsored to relocate to the United States as refugees. As soon as I came, I pursued my lifelong dream of getting a higher education. However, when I thought about what I would study in college, I wanted to study Political Science because of my advocacy role in the camp. Since moving to the US, I have been active in the Seattle community advocating for immigrant and refugee rights, and I know I want to continue to advocate for refugees. Later, I decided to change my major to Computer Science because I felt I could make a lot more change for people globally through technology. When I first came to the US, my family and I struggled to get used to the different systems and access social services because of the language barrier and lack of interactive and easy websites with the right resources and information. Also, most of the social services weren't centered, and we had to research many different websites to get the right resources we were looking for. That's why in 2018, I decided to create tech4REFUGEES, a program to educate new immigrants and refugees about basic computer skills (older folks). In the same year, I created a curriculum for 40 middle and high school students on math and coding tutoring help. Currently, my goal is to change the program to a non-profit organization after my undergrad. I hope that tech4REFUGEES will center the correct information and resources that new immigrants and refugees will need. Also, I hope to make it a hub for resources and information to spark young immigrants and refugees to pursue STEM fields.

My name is Afrikaan, and I am a Somali refugee from Kenya. I grew up in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya, where even primary education was not common. Education was the only hope I had living in the camp, but it was challenging to get it. There were 20 primary schools and four high schools to serve over 150,000 children. Therefore, only 3% of primary school graduates could continue their education, leaving almost everyone out of high school, and causing many to turn to drugs to forget life's problems. We did not have electricity at home, so I worked hard on my homework under streetlights, and I was fortunate to graduate with high scores and get into high school. After high school, I had no college to look forward to, and I was not allowed to leave the camp to work in the Kenyan employment sector because refugees are perceived to be a "threat" and "terror" in the community. In 2016, my family was lucky enough to be sponsored to relocate to the United States as refugees. As soon as I came, I pursued my lifelong dream of getting a higher education. However, when I thought about what I would study in college, I wanted to study Political Science because of my advocacy role in the camp. Since moving to the US, I have been active in the Seattle community advocating for immigrant and refugee rights, and I know I want to continue to advocate for refugees. Later, I decided to change my major to Computer Science because I felt I could make a lot more change for people globally through technology. When I first came to the US, my family and I struggled to get used to the different systems and access social services because of the language barrier and lack of interactive and easy websites with the right resources and information. Also, most of the social services weren't centered, and we had to research many different websites to get the right resources we were looking for. That's why in 2018, I decided to create tech4REFUGEES, a program to educate new immigrants and refugees about basic computer skills (older folks). In the same year, I created a curriculum for 40 middle and high school students on math and coding tutoring help. Currently, my goal is to change the program to a non-profit organization after my undergrad. I hope that tech4REFUGEES will center the correct information and resources that new immigrants and refugees will need. Also, I hope to make it a hub for resources and information to spark young immigrants and refugees to pursue STEM fields. I am the best candidate to receive this scholarship because I will be a step closer to my dream of earning a degree and becoming a computer scientist with this scholarship. In addition, it will enable me to focus more on my studies and be the best version of myself and not worry about bills.

My name is Afrikaan, I'm a Somali refugee from Kenya. I grew up in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya where even primary education was not common. Education was the only hope I had living in the camp, but it was extremely difficult to get it. There were 20 primary schools and 4 high schools to serve over 150,000 children. Therefore, only 3% of primary school graduates could continue their education, which left almost everyone out of high school, causing many to turn to drugs to forget life’s problems. We did not have electricity at home, so I worked hard on my homework under streetlights and I was fortunate to graduate with high scores and get into high school. After high school, I had no college to look forward to, and I was not allowed to leave the camp to work in the Kenyan employment sector because refugees are perceived to be a “threat” and “terror” in the community. In 2016, my family was lucky enough to be sponsored to relocate to the United States as refugees. As soon as I came, I pursued my lifelong dream of getting a higher education. When I thought about what I would study in college, I wanted to study Political Science because of my advocacy role in the camp. Since moving to the US, I have been active in the Seattle community advocating for immigrant and refugee rights, and I know I want to continue to advocate for refugees. Later, I decided to change my major to Computer Science because I felt I could make a lot more change for people in the world through technology. When I first came to the US my family and I struggled to get used to the extremely different systems and accessing social services because of the language barrier and lack of interactive and easy websites with the right resources and information. Also, most of the social services weren't centered, and we had to research so many different websites to get the right resources we were looking for. That's why in 2018 I decided to create tech4REFUGEES, a program to educate new immigrants and refugees about basic computer skills (older folks), and in the summer of 2018, I created a curriculum for 40 middle and high school students on math coding tutoring help. Currently, my goal is to change the program to a non-profit organization after my undergrad. I hope that tech4REFUGEES will center the right information and resources that new immigrants and refugees will need. Also, I hope to make it a hub for resources and information to spark young immigrants and refugees to pursue STEM fields.

My name is Afrikaan, I'm a Somali refugee from Kenya. I grew up in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya where even primary education was not common. Education was the only hope I had living in the camp, but it was extremely difficult to get it. There were 20 primary schools and 4 high schools to serve over 150,000 children. Therefore, only 3% of primary school graduates could continue their education, which left almost everyone out of high school, causing many to turn to drugs to forget life’s problems. We did not have electricity at home, so I worked hard on my homework under streetlights and I was fortunate to graduate with high scores and get into high school. After high school, I had no college to look forward to, and I was not allowed to leave the camp to work in the Kenyan employment sector because refugees are perceived to be a “threat” and “terror” in the community. In 2016, my family was lucky enough to be sponsored to relocate to the United States as refugees. As soon as I came, I pursued my lifelong dream of getting a higher education. When I thought about what I would study in college, I wanted to study Political Science because of my advocacy role in the camp. Since moving to the US, I have been active in the Seattle community advocating for immigrant and refugee rights, and I know I want to continue to advocate for refugees. Later, I decided to change my major to Computer Science because I felt I could make a lot more change for people in the world through technology. When I first came to the US my family and I struggled to get used to the extremely different systems and accessing social services because of the language barrier and lack of interactive and easy websites with the right resources and information. Also, most of the social services weren't centered, and we had to research so many different websites to get the right resources we were looking for. That's why in 2018 I decided to create tech4REFUGEES, a program to educate new immigrants and refugees about basic computer skills (older folks), and in the summer of 2018, I created a curriculum for 40 middle and high school students on math coding tutoring help. Currently, my goal is to change the program to a non-profit organization after my undergrad. I hope that tech4REFUGEES will center the right information and resources that new immigrants and refugees will need. Also, I hope to make it a hub for resources and information to spark young immigrants and refugees to pursue STEM fields.