Fadumo Ibrahim2014 Rising Alumni
Fadumo Ibrahim secured for the Cedar Cultural Center a $5,000 Story Circle Small Grant that enabled a project called The Stories of Somali Women: Sheekadii Hablaha Soomaaliyeed, which invited Somali women of all ages, with a focus on elders, to participate in a series of storytelling workshops. The project culminated in a storytelling event where local Somalis heard stories about their history and culture, which also educated non-Somalis as well, especially as it related to Somali immigrants in Minnesota. Fadumo led a follow-up workshop on empowering women (dhiira galinta haweenka) with the message of "there is no light without education" (aqoon la aan waa iftiin la aan).
Employer
Development Assistant and Somali Community Liaison
The Cedar Cultural Center
CEHD Degree
B.S., Family Social Science
What gets you excited about work?
Everything about my work gets me excited because each and every day I wake up knowing that I will be making a difference in my community and making the community a better place.
What professors were most influential during your time in CEHD?
I took the class Preparation for Working with Families from William Goodman and it changed my life for the better. I learned how to be a critical thinker, how to be outside of my comfort zone, and how to observe and learn the environment I was living in each and every day.
Who has inspired you the most during your career?
My boss at the Cedar Cultural Center, Adrienne Dorn, inspires me because she is a white American working daily with the Somali community. While she faces many challenges, she never gives up. From her, I have learned not to give up on things I am passionate about, which is to make a difference in my community.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a doctor and I still want to be one. That is my long-term goal.
What was the impact and benefit of your experience in CEHD?
It changed my life because when I was going into CEHD and when I was coming out were two different stories. I wanted to be a nurse when I came to the U of M, but changed my mind because I wanted to work with families outside of the hospital system. I wanted to interact with people in the community while making a difference. While in CEHD, I gained the knowledge I needed to serve my community, which is Somali. I worked with so many amazing professors who helped me develop my critical thinking and helped me understand things in-depth.