USD Magazine Spring 2017

SHARED V I S I O N

MAKING CHANGE

S t u d e n t s e n g a g e w i t h l o c a l S o m a l i s [ e n c o u r a g e m e n t ] COMMUNITY BUILDERS “Within the amazing orga- nization that is Somali Family Services sits the Lead- ers in Our Neighborhood (LION) program, which has the main goal of suporting the East African youth in San Diego to build a community filled with

educated members. Mustafa Sahid, a student at San Diego State University — who has an incredible passion for motivat- ing the youth in his program — leads and inspires them. My involvement began through the University of San Diego’s Health Inequities Fel- lows Program, which I was a part of in Fall 2016. Through the program — which aims to provide students with a lens to better under- stand factors at play in regards to the state of health in our city, state and country — we picked a community outreach to join, and LION really struck a chord with me. I love working with under- represented youth, as I identify closely with them and wanted to help lead them, as I was led to succeed in my own college career. Throughout my time with LION, I bonded and became friends with many of the kids, and was able to give them advice and guidance in identifying possible future careers and steps needed to achieve their goal of pursuing a college education. This spring, I’ll be continuing to work with Somali Family Services alongside Georgia Varetas ‘17, another member of my Health Inequities fellow- ship. I cannot wait to see where these young minds go in pursuit of their dreams.”

SOMALI FAMILY SERVICES’ DAY OF DIGNITY IS PART OF A NATIONWIDE EFFORT for people from diverse communities to come together and provide services to their neighbors in need. USD senior Darius Tenorio (pictured, at left, above) hopes to become a dentist. He got involved with the annual event through his service work with Somali Family Services. “I helped kids hand out flyers in their neighborhood to raise awareness for their Day of Dignity.” He says that the day itself was an amazing experience. “I was able to interact firsthand with the homeless and lower income East African families with- in the community. I gave basic oral hygiene advice — such as how to brush your teeth — to children and adults alike, while working alongside nurses and doctors.“

—Darius Tenorio ‘17

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