Alepho Deng Reflection

https://www.polytechnic.org/news-detail?pk=1141224&fromId=222246

Last month, I got the opportunity to host Alephonsion Deng and Joseph Jok in an assembly and an after school GIP event. Before listening to Alepho Deng's captivating stories, we heard from Joseph Jok, an expert on refugee issues in the United States. Jok briefed Poly students on the history of Sudan, teaching us about the Sudanese civil war and sharing details about the refugee crisis that brought Alepho to the United States. After the short history lesson, Poly students got the chance to hear from Alepho Deng, a former Sudanese refugee, about his personal experiences, feelings, and stories regarding his childhood and moving to the United States. Deng walked over a thousand miles when he was only seven years old from his crumbling home in South Sudan to a refugee camp in Kenya. Deng shared moving stories about his family from the time he spent in South Sudan and answered questions from the audience afterwards. Since moving to the United States, Deng has written two books; our global scholars cohort read his second book, Disturbed in their Nests, as a part of our study of refugee issues and patterns of human displacement. Getting the chance to read Alepho’s book and actually hear from him personally added so much perspective to my own understanding of the Sudanese crisis as well as the larger topic of refugee issues. One thing from his presentation that stuck with me was his emphasis on education and its value in his life. He talked about being in the Kenyan refugee camp and practicing English with his friends. He explained how important it was to him and his friends to keep learning, despite not being in a traditional setting to do so. Today, Alepho uses the profits from his books to fund the education of his younger brother. During the in-school assembly, Alepho was asked a question about whether or not he would want to live in American if he weren’t forced to leave when he was a child. His answer to this question also really stuck with me, as he asserted that he would want to stay in South Sudan. He said that South Sudan will always be his home although he has lived in America for what is now the majority of his life. I learned so much from Alepho’s and Joseph’s presentations, I’m so glad I got the chance to hear from these amazing and distinguished speakers.