By Yero Jallow
News about graduation is always exciting. For immigrants, who left far away shores to the new dream land, graduations are just what they are –a stepping stone to dream fulfillment as well getting to help the larger community at large. It is a very touching feeling.
The celebrated poet, Emma Lazarus, whose great work won stellar representation on the statue of liberty in New York, was among the greatest poets of her time. You do not need to be a poet to realize the fact. All you need to do is take a good look at Emma’s poem, “The New Colossus” (Liberty State Park, culled from www.libertystatepark.com/emma.htm on 05/05/2014).
“…Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose fame
Is the imprisoned lightening, and her name
Mother of exiles. From her beacon hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command …”
Emma talked about America as a safe nation, her being a land of opportunity, and the country’s great smile and openness to welcome all others aspiring to explore their potentials to change the world for the better. Without a doubt, Emma who came from an immigrant family was able to recognize the big smile in a nation that continues to support so many different nationalities who left their home countries for greener pastures.
Ebrima Dem too, a resident of Minnesota, has become the latest success and inspirational story. On Sunday May 4th 2014, Ebrima was awarded his Bachelors Degree in Nursing by Augsburg College in Minnesota, after four years of intensive hard work. He is now a fully fledged Nurse ready to practice for any interested employer. I take the opportunity foremost to congratulate a good friend, a brother, Ebrima for his scholastic achievements. Without doubts, this is a big jump, an elevation that brightens a whole horizon and goes a long way to gladden his heart.
A determined young man, he left his home village of Shaghalee (Basse Fulladou, The Gambia) in the late 90s to pursue the American dream. Perhaps, Ebrima, like many other Gambian immigrants came from farming families. Exactly, the case for Ebrima, growing in that village with few schools around and had to walk the distance to get to the nearest primary school. The most interesting part, he had to juggle schooling with farm work and cattle rearing, not to mention of the fact, there were no libraries or even enough text books for reference at the time, but Ebrima have no regrets as everything that happened was to prepare him for the future’s greater life challenges. To whether he missed those cows, oh yes he does, but does he remembers the process of milking, rearing cows, and even “eghugol” (a term in Pular meaning the movement of cows to search for greener pastures during the dry season when animal food is hard to find in certain locations) is probably something you can quiz him on. I know the answer, but I am not going to share it openly. (Laughs).
Despite these many odds, Ebrima survived, and proceeded to St Augustine’s and Gambia High School to do his High school and A-Level education respectively. Upon completion, he was determined to push some few more educational buttons, this time around, outside the Gambia, in a whole new country –America. When he arrived in the U.S in the late nineties, he had to establish with his family first. Ebrima being a family’s breadwinner, temporarily abandoned school to support his family home who are wholly dependent on subsistent farming with barely enough to sustain families. As the years flew by, Ebrima wasn’t at peace and ease with his mind, in as much as his longtime dream of higher education was not fulfilled. First, he had to put some thought over what career he wanted. For a fact, he would have made a good science student, but defaulted to Nursing, a field so supportive income wise in America. In late 2000, Ebrima has made up his mind, and the whole going back to school spirit in his mind was like an awakening thunder-bolt. There he was, a family man blessed with a wonderful family, and a full-time student, pursuing a Nursing Degree. Ebrima didn’t only do school for degree sake, he did a heck of a work with excellence, clearly seen from his grades.
Over the years, I have tried to profile some close friends, mentors, great achievements, and admirations. Many years ago, I profiled Bakary Krubally who graduated in Minnesota and currently working in the Gambia. I also did one on our resident satiric “George Orwell” Dr. Baba Galleh Jallow, currently a professor in Davis, California. It happened these stories inspired many others including myself. I am on that note sharing Ebrima’s great inspiration out of love. I hope our readers will keep being inspired and to pursue areas of higher learning. If Ebrima Gainako from Shaghalee made it to the mountain top despite all odds and challenges, you can as well. That is the very inspiration from Emma’s poem, and it shows how America is built on great nations.