'Against the Odds: Ivy League Refugee'
Celebrated journalist Ellis Cose profiles the incredible journey of Abass Hassan Mohamed, a Somali refugee living in Kenya.
The first program in PRI's documentary series, "Against the Odds," is about a student from Somalia: Abass Hassan Mohamed, who managed to get the highest grade in all of northeastern Kenya on his secondary school completion exams, despite having spent much of his life in a Kenyan refugee camp. He will soon begin his junior year at Princeton University, where he is excelling -- just as he has throughout his life.
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Cose takes listeners to Dadaab, the camp where Mohamed grew up, to meet the young man's teachers and parents. He also visits with Mohamed at Princeton, documenting the incredible transition he has made -- from sharing a one-room shack and an outdoor toilet with his entire family, to succeeding at one of the most prestigious and demanding universities in the world.
Mohamed's story invites listeners to consider several issues: educational mobility, the state of refugees and the prospects for improving life outcomes for those without social advantage.
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