About 900 refugees are expected to settle in west Michigan this year. The School News Network is telling the stories of refugee students.
As a child, Binti Abdi survived a civil war in east Africa, fleeing on foot with her family to Somalia before starting over in the United States. Now she’s celebrating another big achievement.
Binti started third grade at East Leonard Elementary School, picking up English, her fourth language, with the help of an interpreter. Now, her fast-paced life as a junior at Grand Rapids Union High includes wrestling, tennis, Mayor's Youth Council, and debate team at City High. She also takes an Information Technology class at Kent Career Tech Center and runs strong with the Army's Future Soldiers Program, SkillsUSA, and Junior ROTC where she is the best sharpshooter in the group.
Last spring the State of Michigan honored Abdi with the Breaking Traditions 2017 Excellence Award and in November, she’ll be honored again.
Binti will receive the YWCA Tribute Award's Judy Lloyd Student Leadership Scholarship on November 8th. It will give her $2,000 toward her educational goals of attending university after high school following service in the Army. After that, her goal is even higher. She dreams of becoming prime minister of a troubled country like the one she came from.
For now, her top priority is studying for her test to become an American citizen.