Students Embrace Challenges for Success

By Ann McGlynn
Quad City Times
April, 2001

Mawi Asgedom came to the United States as a child, a refugee in a land where he did not know the language, did not know the customs.

He came from Ethiopia and Eritrea, where war tore a people apart.

He learned the language. He fought off the taunts of schoolmates who made fun of him and his family. He mourned the loss of his brother, killed by a drunken driver during high school, and his father, killed by another drunken driver while Asgedom was in college.

Two years ago, he delivered the commencement address to more than 30,000 people at his graduation from Harvard University.

On Tuesday night, he used the words from essays written by high school students honored in the Quad-City Times Salute to Academics and Achievements to tell them about the lessons he has learned along his path from a poor refugee crammed in a hotel room with his family in Wheaton, Ill., to Harvard graduate.

Asgedom’s brother, Tewolde, has been his source of inspiration every day, he said.

“He was as close to perfect as anyone,” he said. “When he passed away, it didn’t make sense to me. But, you can become depressed or inspired. I’m glad I got inspired.”

Amanda Zweifel’s father died when she was 12 years old of colon cancer.

“This situation made me a stronger individual and everything he taught me I carry with me every day,” the senior from Rock Falls wrote.

Asgedom chose to get involved in many activities in high school and college, he said. “When you give to activities, to people around you, you always get back,” he said.

Many of the students honored Tuesday, he said, appear to be “busier than the president of the United States of America.” Lindsey George from Moline High School is one of those students.

“However, learning to manage numerous extracurricular activities, academics and a job helped me become more efficient and effective in each task I took on,” she wrote.

He encouraged the students to know who they are and to keep a journal to help them live out their values and beliefs every day. “Unless you know what kind of person you want to be, people will make you the kind of person they want you to be,” he said. He also encouraged them to not “only sit with your own kind” in college, he said. He has noticed on his visits to college campuses that whites, Hispanics, Asians and blacks often sit together in groups.

“When you show up in that dining hall, sit with all parties,” he said. “You will have a much higher level of understanding.” He called on the words of Nita Prasad of Geneseo, Ill., a minority in a predominately white school, to illustrate his point.

Nita has had to open up to a totally different culture than her ancestral Indian one, she said in her essay. “I have realized that by separating myself from someone else based on prejudice, I throw away a wealth of experiences that make me a stronger, more refined person.”

Since graduating from college, Asgedom has started a speaking business. His clients include Fortune 500 companies, universities, high schools, middle schools, and community groups.

He also has written a memoir, “Of Beetles and Angels: A True Story of the American Dream.”

“Today, he stands before you as an example of everything that is right about this country,” said Marc Chase, a Quad-City Times reporter who was best friends with Asgedom’s brother before his death. “He shows us that we can all succeed — no matter what the challenges.”

The last words Asgedom left students with Tuesday night were not his own, but those of Mike Harris, a former students at Davenport’s 2001 Alternative School, who died two days after his graduation.

“Be happy every day of your life, no matter what. Remember, life is an adventure, so think about your next step. The rest will be great.”