B.A., history
East Boston, Mass.

Presentation Remarks:

Abdi, yours is an inspiring story that has brought you across continents, languages, and cultures, and will eminently take you back again. It's no surprise, then, that you have earned your reputation here based on your natural curiosity, compassion, and intellect, but also on how you help Denisonians find community among diversity.

One can't fully appreciate your story without noting that your family fled Somalia when you were just five years old, and spent the next decade in an Ethiopian refugee camp. You came to Denison as a Boston Posse Scholar after just three years in the United States, still obtaining a grasp of the English language (but mastering that and a fourth language in your time here). As your nominators state, you were deeply committed to contributing to the Denison community however you could. "We believe he has more than fulfilled that promise," they write. Abdi "has organized students and others to accomplish important tasks, broadened student discourse, led by example, and spoken up when others ordinarily do not." Those seemingly boundless ways include service as a DCGA Senator during your first year, followed by consecutive years as a Resident Assistant and Head Resident in Shorney Hall—where you became known as someone who "finds a way to have a productive conversation with every resident"—and this year as the inaugural Head Resident of Chamberlin Hall.

But that's just scratching the surface. In your "desire to advance understanding between and among religious and social groups," you have made an impact as both a member and leader of Denison Religious Understanding, the Denison Muslim Student Association, Asian Culture Club, Black Student Union, La Fuerza Latina, and Hillel. You have served as an ambassador for Denison at presidential events, the Vail Series, and even in local community organizations. Your nominators state that your accomplishments come from selflessness—a desire to do well for other individuals and for your community—and the ability to be a voice of reason and affirmation that brings people together.

This summer, as a Davis Projects for Peace Scholar, you will take that voice back to Ethiopia to create desperately needed healthcare programs for women and girls. After that, while we can only imagine what you will accomplish, we have every confidence that it will be far-reaching, meaningful, and unifying.