My success is opening doors for others like me to succeed.
From his vantage point in a Somali refugee camp after his serene world was shattered by violence, graduate student Ali Kofiro says he dreamed of coming to America.
"I was content and at peace with myself before that was taken away from me by the civil war that erupted in my country in early 1991," says Ali.
Here in the United States, Ali became the first person in his family to graduate from college. When Ali proudly receives his masters in school counseling from UW-River Falls, he says he will become one of the first Somali school counselors in the nation.
"One of the great things about UWRF is that I get to work in real classrooms, to experience what the real world will be like when I graduate," notes Ali.
Currently an associate educator at Wellstone International High School in Minneapolis, Ali helps immigrant students and their families to adjust to life in the U.S. and encourages them to work hard to achieve their goals.
"Immigrants need to have resilience and perseverance to be successful in this country and overcome difficulty," says Ali. "This reminds me of a Somali proverb that says, 'If you want to build a highway or mend a crack in the sky, you just need to show more effort.'"
Ali has indeed worked hard. He has been employed by such institutions as Catholic Charities and John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, Tx., providing cultural orientations and basic English to newly arrived immigrants and serving as a translator between doctors and patients. He is also the former vice president of Minnesota Somali Student Union and co-founder and Minnesota representative of the North America Somali Student Union, and a member of the prestigious Phi Theta Kappa student honor society.
Ali works closely with his advisor Mark Gillen, an assistant professor in the counseling and school psychology program.
"He gives me advice as if I were his own son," says Ali. "The professors here are caring and dedicated."
When thinking about his future, Ali says he is sure of his path; he wants to continue helping students gain access to education.
"I want to be a role model for other students," says Ali. "I want to be an advocate, to show others what opportunities are out there."
