Mawi Asgedom spoke Tuesday night--as he has to business executives, the crowd at his Harvard commencement and elementary school students--with humor, emotion, logic and above all, a keen eye for his audience.
An author and motivational speaker, Asgedom delivered a speech at Love Auditorium about the hardships he faced and overcame as a young refugee in Africa, an adolescent immigrant in Chicago and a student at Harvard. Nearly 200 students attended the speech, which was sponsored by Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity and Craven Quadrangle.
Asgedom--who was named one of the 40 most influential African Americans by Essence magazine--began with a poignant account of his family's struggles as they fled war-stricken Ethiopia for Sudan and eventually America.
After being forced to leave his home in Adi Wahla, three year-old Asgedom spent more than three years in a refugee camp with his family. During that time, his elder brother was almost taken by rebel forces and his family suffered from malnutrition and disease--including his near death experience from a particularly severe illness. Still, through his difficult upbringing he found meaning and a desire to achieve the "American Dream," he said.
Persevering through the bullying he and his brother Hntsa, currently a member of the ATO Duke chapter, received as immigrants in high school, and his own delinquencies, Asgedom made it a personal mission to graduate at the top of his class, seeing that year after year the top students were white. In addition to his own desire for greatness, he credits his parents with helping him get into Harvard--a feat Asgedom never thought he would accomplish.
"One of the great things my mother and father believed was regardless of the color of your skin, you could get a scholarship anywhere, you just gotta work hard," he said.
In speaking about his college experience, Asgedom provided his audience with a potential model for success that worked for him, including possessing a strong quantitative ability--including reading and writing skills as well as a plan for the future.
A "secret weapon" for Asgedom was a daily journal, which he started using in high school, where he would write down his goals--not only for his academics and athletic ability, but for developing his character and inter-personal skills.
"There is nothing more powerful than working to improve your own character," he said. He currently works with high school students to help them develop a similar game plan and suggested that even college students could do the same.
He also stressed the importance of pursuing individual dreams after college, even if only for a year or two. He explained that seniors at elite universities such as Duke often get caught up in trying to land a well-paying job, even if they do not want to follow such a traditional path. "The opportunities Duke offers you, it's both a best friend and worst enemy for you to pursue your dream," Asgedom said.
Throughout the speech, Asgedom engaged his listeners by having them repeat an Ethiopian word he had taught at the outset of his speech--salam--meaning hello and peace. He would incorporate the word into his speech, for dramatic effect.
"You don't know what's going to help you--salam? If you want to be successful, it's a lot about the little things you do that add up," Asgedom said.
Students were impressed with Asgedom's personal story and how he managed to become successful despite all the hardships.
"The perseverance Mawi had was remarkable--to go through what he's been through and be here now," said freshman Max Milliken.
Others, such as freshman Quindelyn Cook, took to heart what Asgedom said and felt a connection with him.
"He was inspiring, but unlike other people with inspiring stories, he was real," Cook said. "He was speaking to us, not at us."
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