Two Lives on Similar Paths Intersect at D.J.'s Hero Awards Luncheon
Haji Salad (middle and 2018 D.J.'s Hero Award recipient Abdinur Muqtar (right) lived in the same Kenyan refugee camp as children but didn't meet until many years later at the annual awards luncheon in Omaha where they also had the opportunity to chat with Denver Broncos General Manager John Elway.
Abdinur Muqtar was just 4 years old when he fled war-torn Somalia with his family. They walked for two days and nights to the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya where Abdinur lived for 13 years in a mud hut and survived on meager monthly food rations. When his high school teacher in the camp was murdered, Abdinur and his five friends taught themselves the curriculum. All six passed the national exam two months later.
“It’s tough where he came from,” said Haji Salad of Omaha. Haji knows firsthand about life in Dadaab because he, too, lived in the same refugee camp as a child before coming to the United States.
Although the two didn’t know each other in the camp, they met this spring at the D.J.’s Hero Awards Luncheon, where Abdinur was 1 of 10 Nebraska high school students who received a $10,000 college scholarship. Haji said hearing Abdinur’s story was “like seeing a reflection of myself.”
After moving to Nebraska and graduating from Omaha South High Magnet School, Haji became the first person in his family to attend college. He recently finished his sophomore year at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. When he’s not taking psychology and sociology courses, Haji works as a youth mentor at the Kroc Center.
“Being a youth mentor is a way for me to give back to The Salvation Army for what they provided for my family,” Haji said. “I wouldn’t be where I am right now if my dad hadn’t gotten me involved with the Kroc Center when I was a kid.”
While living at Dadaab, Abdinur dreamed of coming to America, earning a degree in economics and one day working at the United Nations as an advocate for refugees. This fall he’ll take the next step toward making his dream a reality when he enrolls in the economics program at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.
“Meeting Haji was inspiring,” said Abdinur. “He has shown the courage and determination to follow his dreams no matter where he came from. We had the opportunity to talk about some of the challenges of being a refugee and what it was like to grow up in the camp. We plan to stay in touch and hopefully find ways to help the community together.”
“I’m so happy for Abdinur,” added Haji, “and I can’t wait to see where he goes.”