A Refugee Story

Eliza Jane Schaeffer
The Student Voice Forum
6 min readApr 12, 2017

by Laney Taylor

The Kakuma Refugee Camp

You can’t get across Centre’s campus without saying at least three hellos, and when the frenzy of the first days of a new semester subsides, these hellos are always shared with the people who cross your path every day at 8:57 AM. Every semester, Dahabo Kerow has crossed my path.

Dahabo Kerow is a first generation student at Centre College. She was born in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, where she lived until 2004 when she moved to the United States.

Dahabo is kind. She has a laugh that echoes through Nevin Hall and fills anyone with joy. She speaks with conviction and resilience. This is her story.

Q: What is it like going to school at Centre as a refugee?

It’s terrifying, but it’s also really empowering at the same time. The experience itself has made me really appreciate going to school and just made me thankful for the opportunities I have; but then, it’s also terrifying because a lot of people look at you as if you don’t belong there constantly. You’re constantly conflicted within yourself.

Q: How can someone like me actively cultivate empathy for your story and other stories similar to your own?

I would really just say try to get to know the person’s story… letting them know being here is not their fault, and that you actually do appreciate their presence. Because a lot of times we are constantly made to feel bad that we’re even here and that our struggle what made us, what brought us here is our own fault, which is not entirely true. Even if you can’t relate, being able to listen. That’s the biggest thing that we all need right now.

Q: Have you noticed any difference between your high school & Centre?

I’ve noticed a lot of people are not aware of the refugee struggles, at Centre especially, which is shocking. Because at my high school, my high school was predominately black but it was a lot of natives who were born here and African-Americans, but they were able to connect with us and able to say, “I know you’re a refugee, but what do you need?” and “Being here, has it been different?” They ask questions. And at Centre, I feel like a lot of people are frightened because they don’t know, and they just shut down…and then you’ll never know.

Centre College

Q: In light of Trump’s Executive Order, what are your thoughts? Have you noticed changes on campus?

I’ve been frustrated that a lot of people don’t even care that this policy was implemented. And people were not even questioning Trump himself, but they were questioning the Muslim community for even being upset. If you let this slip by then you’re gonna create a gateway for [President Trump] to oppress other people. Nobody was really speaking up; the common whole as a people were not speaking up. I was just really frustrated by that.

Q: What do you wish our elected officials understood specifically about being a student who is a refugee?

I would wish that they would understand the difficulties that already exist without the barriers that they’re implementing. And I would just wish that they would actually get to know who this is affecting because if you’re just signing things and you never have to meet the person it impacts then you’re not going to know anything. But if you come to Centre College and you see that a lot of students here are refugees, they are Muslims, they’re terrified and they’re scared that they can’t continue their education because of policies you enacted. I’d really want for them to just get out there and go beyond their office and come to schools and see what’s happening. Our education system oppresses a lot of people. You say you are doing this to inspire the next generation but you’re also the one who’s chaining them down.

Q: Is there anything I didn’t ask that you would want to say to someone who could change education policies at Centre College?

I’ve been speaking to a lot of students, and students feel unease about the efforts of the administration and they feel like they’re not doing enough. They feel like they’re not addressing the core of the issues that we’re going through nowadays. Instead of saying, “We can not judge an entire religion based on the actions of a few” they’re basically undermining it as saying, “Okay, this is what has happened and this is what we will do.” I was really upset [about the college president’s email in response to Trump’s executive order] because he addressed [that] it affected people [studying] abroad and how they were trying to make sure people were safe, but he didn’t mention the Muslim students here right now and how they’re affected too. I know a lot of the faculty have come up to me and spoken to me but none of the administration has reached out and said, “Are you guys okay?” I would just wish that P. Roush would try to understand what his students are going through and the student body as a whole. A lot of students feel that he focuses on a specific group in the Centre community and he doesn’t address the rest. That’s not a good feeling for us to have right now when we’re already terrified of what could happen.

Q: Where do you see yourself once you have your Centre degree?

One of the biggest things for me is I want to go back to Kenya and I want to become a lawyer there to help those who are experiencing the same things I have went through. A lot of families that were with us at the refugee camps are still in the refugee camps…and they’re still living in the impoverished conditions that they were before. I feel guilty that we were able to escape. I really just want to be able to give back. Hopefully, I’ll be a human rights lawyer.

This interview was conducted and transcribed by Laney Taylor, a graduate of Scott County High School and a sophomore at Centre College in Danville.

This piece is one of many in the Forum’s Refugee and Immigrant Series. These students have inspiring and sometimes heartbreaking stories, but their voices are all too often overlooked. Over the course of the past few months, the Student Voice Team has spoken with refugee and immigrant students to not only gain a better understanding of their personal experiences but also hear their take on the new Administration and the worldwide refugee crisis. Over 21,000 students speaking 139 different languages receive Kentucky’s English Learning services which are offered in 70 school districts spanning the Commonwealth.

The opinions expressed on the Forum represent the individual students to whom they are attributed. They do not reflect the official position or opinion of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence or the Student Voice Team. Read about our policies.

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