Selamawi Asgedom (

Tigrinya Tigrinya may refer to: * Tigrinya language Tigrinya, sometimes romanized as Tigrigna, is an Ethio-Semitic languages, Ethio-Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic languages, Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It i ...

: ሰላማዊ ሃእለአብ አስገዶም; born in Adi Wahla,

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

on 29 September 1976), or Mawi Asgedom for short, is an author, public speaker, and a

refugee A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...

n and

Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...

n origin.

Biography

Mawi was born in northern Ethiopia, in the province of Tigray. For about two years of his childhood, he was separated from his father, when he and his siblings and mother had to flee to Sudan to avoid the war in Ethiopia. Mawi was seven years old when he and his family arrived in the U.S. in 1983, sponsored by

World Relief World Relief (officially, World Relief Corporation of National Association of Evangelicals) is a global Christian humanitarian organization whose mission is to boldly engage the world’s greatest crises in partnership with the church. The orga ...

. They had spent the previous three years in a refugee camp in

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

. He grew up in the Chicago suburb of

Wheaton, Illinois Wheaton is a city in and the county seat of DuPage County, Illinois, United States. It is located in Milton and Winfield Townships, approximately west of Chicago. As of the 2020 census, Wheaton's population was 53,970, making it the 27th-mos ...

. He played on his high school basketball team and ran track, the best in his league. He graduated with top honors from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, receiving a degree in

American history The history of the present-day United States began in roughly 15,000 BC with the arrival of Peopling of the Americas, the first people in the Americas. In the late 15th century, European colonization of the Americas, European colonization beg ...

and giving the

commencement address In the United States, a commencement speech or commencement address is a speech given to graduating students, generally at a university, although the term is also used for secondary education institutions and in similar institutions around the ...

at his graduation in 1999. He is the author of ''Of Beetles and Angels: A Boy's Remarkable Journey from a Refugee Camp to Harvard'' and ''The Code: The 5 Secrets of Teen Success.'' Mawi's autobiography, ''Of Beetles and Angels'' was selected by Springfield, Pennsylvania as their community book, and 2,378 people read it there. Day-time television host

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...

named her interview of Mr. Asgedom as one of her 20 Unforgettable Moments in October 2005. ''Of Beetles and Angels'' was also chosen as the first-ever

Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

, citywide reading program with events planned throughout the 2007–2008 school year. Mr. Asgedom visited with middle school readers throughout the year. Mawi's memoir was also read by the city of Philadelphia including

Hatboro-Horsham High School Hatboro-Horsham Senior High School is a comprehensive public high school, serving grades 9 -12, located in Horsham Township, Pennsylvania, about 17 miles outside of Philadelphia. Hatboro-Horsham Senior High School, a successor of the Loller Acad ...

as part of the 'One Book, One School' program Mawi has four children and lives in Illinois.

References

External links

Mawi Learning's WebsiteMawi's Speaking WebsiteMawi Books' WebsiteACT acquires Mawi Learning
{{DEFAULTSORT:Asgedom, Selamawi 1976 births Living people American people of Eritrean descent Autobiographers Ethiopian emigrants to the United States Ethiopian philanthropists Ethiopian writers Harvard College alumni Writers from Wheaton, Illinois 21st-century Ethiopian writers Delta Upsilon members