PSU x AYCO: Former Viking Abdi Ibrahim Organizes On-Campus Event for Students in African Youth and Community Organization

Portland State’s athletic department recently hosted an unusual group of 22 male and female high school athletes. 

Most were either refugees or immigrants, a group that can face extraordinary hurdles in transitioning from high school to college athletic programs because of their backgrounds. They toured the campus for a day, watching teams practicing and hearing about the collegiate athletic/academic experience directly from Viking athletes.

“In our communities, youth sometimes give up on their dreams after high school, especially when faced with challenges. Our goal was to show them that they are capable of becoming and succeeding as college athletes,” said former PSU distance runner Abdi Ibrahim, a Somalian refugee himself, who graduated from PSU last spring with a Master's in Nonprofit Leadership and a bachelor's in Public Health.

He worked with PSU’s Libby Bissen, assistant athletic director-academic services, and Tom Thake, this year’s president of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC), to organize the event. Ibrahim set the program up through his new position as workforce coordinator for the African Youth and Community Organization (AYCO), which serves communities across southeast and southwest Portland. Its mission is to empower immigrant and refugee youth and families by providing support through education, mentorship, internships and community engagement.

“People will never understand how hard it is to live in a refugee camp until they do it…going days without water sometimes…having to travel far on foot to find the nearest water source to carry back to your home, and where food is often provided by a United Nations program,” Ibrahim said.

Coming from a refugee or immigrant background can erect hurdles to moving forward in American society, he said.

Ibrahim hoped that “the students walk away feeling inspired and motivated, seeing college athletes in action and hearing their stories can show our youth that higher education is within reach.”

A goal of the event was for the high school athletes to gain a better understanding of what it takes to balance academics, athletics and personal growth in college…and that the experience helps to spark new goals for their future, he said.

The day ended with seven PSU athletes answering a range of questions and talking about their experiences in balancing academics and athletics, overcoming obstacles to get where they are, the impact of coaches on creating a successful experience, ways of dealing with the extraordinary pressures of college athletics, ways athletes stay fit, goal setting and career goals.

Duresa Ibrahim (no relation to Abdi) moved to the U.S. from Ethiopia in 2016. Now a track athlete and tennis player at Reynolds High School, who’s also thinking of taking up soccer, she was particularly interested in how athletes balance work, school and athletics. 

“I learned that you have a lot of obstacles you have to overcome, but once you get used to it, it’s exciting and fun,” he said. And for Duresa Ibrahim, it’s full speed ahead. “As of right now, I have no concerns about post-high-school education,” she said.

PSU athletes participating in the afternoon Q&A were junior Amir Amed and graduate student Mohamed Ahmed, men’s cross country and track; seniors Jamia Carter, Brooklyn Strandy and Taylor Moffat, women’s basketball; graduate student Samuel Stewart, men’s basketball, and graduate student Gracie Walters, women’s softball.

Abdi Ibrahim said AYCO sponsors an array of events to help the immigrant and refugee communities.

“Events like this are about building bridges between our youth, local communities and the broader community. It’s a way to show young people that they belong in these spaces, and that with the right support, they can achieve great things both in school and in life.”