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Ethiopian Civil War
The civil war began when the Provisional Military Government of Socialist Ethiopia staged a coup against the Emperor, Haile Selassie. -
Birth
Selamawi "Mawi" Asgedom is born in Adi Wahla, Ethiopia. -
Birth
Selemawi "Mawi" Asgedom is born in Adi Wahla, Ethiopia. -
Refugees
Mawi's family flees Ethiopia to meet their father in Sudan. -
A Temporary Home
(1980 - 1983) For three years, Mawi and his family live in a Sudanese refugee camp in Umsagata. During this time, Mawi dealt with abusive kindergarten teachers. "...the Sudanese teachers never hesitated to pound us." (pg 5) -
America At Last
With the help of a Christian non-profit organization called World Relief, Mawi's family boarded a plane to Chicago. -
A Helpful Friend
Mawi's family is assigned a caseworker named Beth. From the beginning, she brings good spirits to the family's incredibly stressful life. She advocated for them to local churches in the hopes that one would sponsor the family. She got in contact with a physician that would treat Mawi's father's malaria for no charge. And above all that, she talked to the family and was a friendly face in a new environment. -
Education Is Key
Mawi begins elementary school with his brother Tewolde and his sister Mehret. There, Mawi was met with racist slurs, as well as verbal and physical abuse from his classmates. -
Have Empathy for your Brothers
Mawi and his brother Tewolde often visited Wheaton Public Library to read and study. One day, they saw a man out in the cold. He said to them, "I lost my job and never got another one, and I don't think I'll ever get one again. I'm done" (pg 64). In response to this, Maw and his brother gave the man all the sandwiches for their day at the library. They were taught by their fathers that every stranger is an angel, even if they look like a beetle. -
Death
Mawi's brother, Tewolde, is killed by a drunk driver midway through his senior year in high school. -
Reaching for the Stars
In Mawi's senior year of high school, he planned to go to Taylor University in Indiana. He was in the top one percent as far as grades went in his school. His counselor told him to dream big. The most prestigious schools he applied to were Washington University, Yale, and Harvard. Washington offered him a $90,000 scholarship and free tuition. Yale offered even more scholarship money. Harvard not only accepted him; they offered him a full tuition, all expenses paid scholarship. -
Hard Work Pays Off
Mawi graduates from Harvard with an American History degree, and top honors.