We see images of starving children, poverty, and violence around the world

What can we do help?  How can we help them?

To alleviate suffering social and political change must occur by providing citizens with opportunities to successfully build their own nations.

What is an immigrant? Why did they come to America? I am an immigrant. I was born in Renk, a town right on the White Nile River in what is today South Sudan. Opportunity brought me to America. At five years I came here not understanding my purpose in this country and why I left home. At five, I was oblivious to civil war, mass displacement, and political instability. African nations are bedeviled with poverty, political corruption, and under development. My parents like many others at had a vision of providing their children with the best opportunities and education to one day correct the chronic atrocities that have plagued my nation from its conception. I thank my parents and all other parents who risked their lives, left their families and livelihoods to come to America sacrificing their personal futures their children’s and countries. Fifteen years later, I am twenty and America is my adopted country I am now an American. I appreciate that America has provided me with safety, opportunity, positive ideals if cordially spread can one day alleviate suffering in Mama Africa.

In recent history many individuals have applied the education, and experience obtained in America to become leaders in developing countries.

Kwame Nkrumah, leader of Ghanaian movement to independence, and Ghana’s First President  attending Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. Kwame Nkrumah was a pioneer in the African fight against brutal and oppressive European colonization. The American educational opportunities, and intense thirst for knowledge are to credit.

John Garang was the leader of Sudan’s People Liberation Movement, General in Sudan’s People’s Liberation Army, and Former VP of Sudan. Garang was educated in Iowa obtaining B.A. from Grinnell College, Phd and M.A. from Iowa State. Garang’s classmates described him as a book worm. His reading and education was shown through his actions and leadership.

Kwame and Garang’s intense reading gave them knowledge and visions making them leaders that inspired millions of people.  My maternal Uncle Hassan says that “the more you read the more you lead”. Reading resulting in leadership that caused two men to inspire millions.   

Many foreigners come to America for educational opportunity to improve their home nations.

United States must see these immigrants as diplomats and use them to change the world. Immigrants living and studying in the United States can save the American government millions on foreign aid, and unnecessary interventions due to incompetent foreign governments.

The United States is the world’s most powerful country which makes it the go to nation for conflicts resolution. In the future America will be safer because of immigrants here such as myself who love their country, and have fervent passion to improve it.

America holds the most powerful weapon to tackle terrorism, poverty, corruption, and possibly world peace. The weapon isn’t military force or CIA operations, but EDUCATION. In the words of  Nelson Mandela “education is the more powerful tool to change the world”.

American education is full of  talented instructors who have mastered their expertise. Education provides people with the ability to elevate themselves obtain skills, experience, and a diverse point of view. Many kids in America can read and write effortlessly, but thirty-eight percent of Africans are illiterate, can’t even read and write proving education is a dire need. Immigrants in America can be educated in various subjects and apply them to counter these illiteracy rates, poverty, diseases, and social problems.

Promoting peace and democracy isn’t efficacious through force or economic sanctions. The best way is to educate young immigrants from across the globe in public health  The developing world lacks strong leadership, educated citizens, and economic development. I am one of millions of immigrants who have a passion to uplift their nation, a fervent desire to learn and constantly grow intellectually, and willing to break regressive social barriers. Immigrants will be the generation that cure diseases, end hunger, poverty, and wars. They first must obtain knowledge through voracious reading and studying. America is assisting this process as many attend schools there.

After gaining copious amounts of experience, knowledge, and expertise, these immigrants can return home to build nations. As many return they will apply these skill and influence their countrymen creating an impetus for positive widespread change. Though many still live in America they continue to contribute to American society. In  2012, 11.6 percent of immigrants had a M.A., professional degree, or Ph.Ds, compared with 10.8 percent of the native-borns. The percent maybe small, but we don’t dramatize the negative things native-born American citizens do attempting to generalize all American citizens. Then why do we generalize negative things immigrant do when their are many out there who are love America and respect its values.

The claim that the American immigration is broken articulates how politics have bypassed objective statistics. Immigrants contribution is integral, and no statistics articulate how they are burdening America. They are actually helping America by using the opportunities they are provided to best prepare them for a life as Americans or potential allies of America.  

In the 1950s Senator John F Kennedy pioneered a program intended to provide foreign students with scholarships to study in America. The Kennedys decided ‘We’re going to do an airlift. We’re going to go to Africa and start bringing young Africans over to this country and give them scholarships to study so they can learn what a wonderful country America is. One person who benefited from this was an ambitious Kenyan student. This Kenyan was the first ever African foreign student at the University of Hawaii where he met Ann Durham. The Kenyan was Barack Obama Sr. and his son currently lives in Washington D.C. serving as the 44th President of the United States.

America can take the Kennedy Brother’s message further by continuing to provide education and opportunities to foreign nations instead of futile foreign aid. Immigrants are an integral part of America, I mean when using the IPHONE let’s be grateful to Abdulfattah Jandali a Syrian immigrant and biological father of Steve Jobs.

Throughout history mankind has left his home for safety and better opportunity. Current conservative Presidential Candidate Ted Cruz is an immigrant. Cruz wouldn’t be able to object immigration reform if his father didn’t migrate. Rafael Cruz, left Cuba as with hopes for better life and opportunities. Rafael barely knew English, but worked hard and obtain a mathematics degree. Many of the immigrants that Ted would reject amnesty for are just like his father, hard working, ambitious, and speak English as a second language. Regardless of political or personal opinions of immigrants they are a great part of American society

In conclusion, I believe that America can benefit from an immigrant like me and I can benefit from America, I can provide a different perspective to possibly lead native-citizens to think outside the book.I can also learn a whole lot from native-Americans as I have in my academic career, and take that knowledge back to South Sudan to possibly induce positive social, economic, political, and cultural change.  Most importantly I can contribute to this country by working hard, adopting the positives values it has to offer, and giving my best to make America a better place as I would  South Sudan.