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Haileab was born in Seraye, Eritrea. His father died at a young age and he had an ill mother who could not take care of him.
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Mawi's father Haileab was treated unfairly by relatives he was living with. Although his mom was still alive, she was too sick to attend to him. He felt like an orphan and decided, at age 14, to leave his birthplace to venture into Tigray, Ethiopia.
*Image courtesy of https://www.ganeandmarshall.com/destination/ethiopia/tigray.html -
After arriving in Tigray, Ethiopia at the age of 14, Haileab was able to obtain a job at a clinic in Mekele. There, he learned to care for the sick, and also passed a government exam that would allow him to become a doctor. He would eventually heal and help the sick for decades.
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The war between Eritrea and Ethiopia starts in 1961 and lasts for 30 years.
*Image courtesy of onwar.com -
Mawi (at the age of 3), his mother Tsege, his brother Tewolde, and sister Mehret flee the war in Ethiopia to Sudan and resettle in Umsagata, a refugee camp in Sudan from 1980-1983. There, they meet up with their father Haileab.
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While settling in the Umsagata refugee camp for 3 years, Mawi's father Haileab worked in the clinic and his mother Tsege worked in the food and nutrition place.
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World Relief, a U.S. based organization, accepts Mawi's family to resettle in the U.S. but Mawi's parents decide to wait for their half sister, Mulu, to be accepted too.
*Image courtesy of istockphoto.com -
A year after World Relief accepted Mawi's family for resettlement in the U.S., they finally leave Sudan and make the journey to America. Mawi is seven years old at this time.
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Mawi's family arrives to the United States and resettles in the Chicago area. After months of staying in several motels, they finally receive a home of their own.
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While Mawi's family were newly settled in their home, his father Haileib brought home a homeless man to give him food, shelter, and clothes. Another angel, Charlene, takes Mawi and his siblings to different places like her college, and playgrounds.
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After arriving in America, Haileab was able to obtain a janitorial job at Wheaton College.
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Mawi and his family discover Haloween. After several years of "trick-or-treating," Mawi, Tewolde, and their friends learned to play pranks to homeowners, and also learned to steal candy from bowls left on front porches.
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Mawi and his brother Tewolde run into trouble with bullies at Longfellow Elementary. During their school years, they get involved in several fights.
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At the age of 11, Mawi, his brother Tewolde, and two friends decide to steel a parking meter. They have a run-in with a policeman of which they were not caught.
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While on a trip to the library, Mawi and Tewolde give their sandwiches to a poor man. This was one of the two most memorable moments Mawi had that he'll never forget.
*Image courtesy of http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/10/22/more-us-cities-are-banning-feeding-homeless -
Mawi receives his first D in eighth grade and begins to question whether or not he will succeed in his academics.
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Civil War between Eritrea and Ethiopia ends in 1991. The war stretched 30 years (from 1961-1991)
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Mawi decides to choose the hardest classes in his freshman year of high school, challenging himself as much as possible.
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Beyond education, Mawi joined his schools track team. He won hiss first competition Freshman year of high school.
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Tewolde was killed by a drunk driver and dies. He was halfway through his senior year.
*Image courtesy of gettyimages.com -
At the age of 17, Tewolde manages to open his own cleaning business.
*Image courtesy of pixabay.com -
The country of Eritrea is finally independent after many years of war.
*Image courtesy of pixabay.com -
During Mawi's senior year of high school, he works up the confidence to participate as a candidate for their National Honor Society (NHS) group. Learning to have treated everyone as Angels, he won the highest vote and became their schools NHS President.
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After applying to several colleges, and with the help of supporting teachers, Mawi was accepted to many colleges, including Harvard. Harvard offers him a full scholarship to attend their college - which Mawi accepted.
*Image courtesy of harvard.edu -
During Mawi's Junior year of college, he spends two weeks during Christmas with his father Haileab. Those two weeks were the last time Mawi ever saw his father alive.
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Mawi graduates from Harvard and gives a commencement speech for his graduating class.
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