Every student in the Minneapolis Public Schools matters and counts! I am running for the Minneapolis Public School Board - District 3 because I believe that I can contribute to the progress and gains that the current board has made in the last four years. Our school district is at crossroads in many ways, and it needs deliberate and decisive new board members who are willing to work hard on behalf of the district while vigorously advocating for their own district. Less than 17 years ago I arrived in Minneapolis, displaced after the collapse of Somalia, possessing little more than my dignity. I was able to attain a St. Thomas MBA and a fast-rising banking career. But I soon realized it was not enough to just work for my family and myself. So I switched gears to community service, founding the African Development Center of Minnesota (ADC), a Minneapolis-based not for profit social enterprise that is moving our fellow immigrants and refugees from faraway lands into the American financial mainstream. I am Husband, Father of three young children, and I’ve been living in the district all my 17 years in America. I am also proud parent of Minneapolis Public Schools student– at Seward Montessori. I am community organizer, and serve on prominent boards in our community. I am also a business leader connecting the new Americans to the American promise and to the mainstream business practices. I’ve proudly served on the Minneapolis Library Board (2006-2008), and I was co-chair of the 2008 successful Minneapolis Public Schools Referendum: Strong Schools Strong City. Finally, the challenges of our district will be only solved if we come together as a community to support our children and their schools. With other elected board members I will attack the persistent school budget deficits, achievement and opportunity gaps among our students, and the transparency in the board key and relevant decisions such as hiring a new superintendent.