Meet the Changemakers: Khaled

Khaled is an FSM Changemaker that will be attending the Western Michigan University Seita Scholars program in Fall of 2022.

My name is Khaled, I am from Bangladesh where I grew up with a different ethnicity and a lovely family. I still remember waking up in the morning and I asked my mom where is my tea with the big cup, and I don't drink tea if it is not in the big cup, which I am trying to say when I was young I always wanted more than others. As I am growing up, sometimes people ask me what do you want to be when I grow up? Then I etched my forehead and started thinking but my answer always came out as “I don't know”. Because I was young and I didn’t think about the future yet. So after I turned sixteen my life was about to change.

I decided to move to the United States and there were a few reasons for moving to the United States, one of the reasons is to earn a better education. Because the United States has good education, I can get a better degree and get a better job in the future. And when I was moving to the United States, I learned so many things, I experienced a lot of stuff. I learned about different types of people, I learned about different cultures, I learned multiple languages, I have experienced that group of Gangs came and one guy pointed a gun at me and took my money, my phone, and my backpack left me in with nothing I had no money no phone and no food but still I was able to get out from this situation. That was the most challenging thing I ever experienced.

After a long and most challenging journey then finally I came to the US but that was more challenging for me. I don’t speak English, I have no family, no friends and I felt lost and alone. But my attorney sent me to foster care, then I slowly learned to speak English, I learned more about myself  and became more productive and mature.

“I have experienced so many things in my life and one thing I realized is that every problem has a solution. Maybe it would be difficult but I always have hope.”