University at Buffalo (UB)
It's not how you start... it's where you finish
2018 - Hamadi Shebule
2018 UBEOC Arthur O. Eve Education and Community Service Award
UBEOC Class of 2017
Mr. Hamadi Shebule states his accomplishments so far make him think a little less about his past and much more about his future. He says he always recalls images of escaping war torn Somalia at age ten with his mother, sister and brother but that his “new memories” foresee a brighter tomorrow.
"My Math Instructor told me not to dwell on any ‘one aspect’ of a problem.
Instead, he told me to put ‘two and two together’ to see the big picture. I did and I am.
Mr. Shebule tells of his recollections clinging to his mother’s hand while fleeing to Kenya with other Somali families; living in a tent campground sponsored by the United Nations; watching his mother hand wash other people’s clothes to subsidize their meager income; cutting down trees in the forest and building their house where he and his family lived for over a decade; enduring his family’s initial rejection of their immigration application to the United States and personally persisting towards this end. He also remembers rejoicing when his family received approved documentation and moved to Buffalo in 2004.
Since leaving Kenya, Mr. Shebule has been committed to creating new memories. He takes pride in one of his first “new memories” when he secured a production job at SweetWorks Inc. (Niagara Chocolates) when he first arrived in Buffalo. Another “new memory” was working at Culinary Arts Specialties for ten years, initially performing assembly work and then advancing in title and responsibility to Assistant Supervisor. And yet another memory was earning his High School Equivalency Diploma at the University at Buffalo Educational Opportunity Center (UBEOC) in 2017.
Mr. Shebule recalls his Math Instructor’s encouraging words to not dwell on any “one aspect” of a problem, but rather to put “two and two together” to see the big picture, an analogy which inspired and continues to inspire him. Visualizing his own bigger picture, Mr. Shebule sought out the services of the UBEOC College and Community Connections Office and is now a full time student at Erie Community College. In 2017, Mr. Hamadi Shebule passed the United States of America citizenship exam and proudly took the Oath of Allegiance.
Mr. Shebule currently works in the Buffalo Public Schools as a Teacher’s Aide where he assists and motivates students from around the world to see their own futures. His commitment to the community at large and desire to provide service to those less fortunate; his desire to act as a role model for students in the public schools; his responsibility as the Buffalo District Soccer League (BDSL) Coach for young adults; and his work in assisting others as they strive for their own academic excellence exemplifies why he is the recipient of the Arthur O. Eve Education and Community Service Award.
Alumni Affairs and Student Development Office