Metro Transit employees come from many cultures and backgrounds. To celebrate this diversity, employees who are proud to share their heritage and identity will be regularly featured on the Riders' Almanac blog. This Q&A commemorates Somali Independence Day, a national holiday marking the unification and creation of Somalia in 1960. Read more “Where I’m From” Q&As here.
Tell us a little bit about your background.
I was born in Somalia in 1990 and stayed there until I was 8 years old. Because of the civil war, my family was always moving. We never stayed in any city for more than a year. Finally, my family moved to Nairobi, Kenya, where there was a large Somali population, and it was more peaceful. After five years in Kenya, my family was able to come to Minneapolis. I earned my U.S. citizenship and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 2008. I still travel back and forth. My wife and nearly 1-year-old daughter are in Somali, and are in the process of moving to the United States.
How did you become interested in law enforcement?
As a young kid, I couldn’t think about what I wanted to be when I grew up – it was more about making it to the next day. It wasn’t until I came here that I realized I could be a firefighter, a police officer, or whatever I wanted to become. I got the idea of becoming a police officer in high school after spending time with our school resource officer. I held several security jobs, earned an associates degree, then worked with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office and Maplewood Police Department. I was lucky enough to get a job at Metro Transit in 2018.
What does Somali Independence Day mean to you?
It has a lot of meaning for me. My mom was born the same day Somalia unified (July 1, 1960). It’s amazing to hear my grandfathers and uncles, who were there when Somalia was colonized, talk about how they felt the day the country was unified. At the same time, it’s sad knowing that just 30 years after independence civil war broke out. Somalia is moving in the right direction now, and I hope to celebrate Independence Day there in the near future.