BY PAUL TOSTO
Monday, February 18, 2008
Dahir Jumale, 19, left, and his brother, Akey Jumale, 21, chose Dakota County Technical College in part because it has a men's soccer program. (JEAN PIERI, Pioneer Press) |
That language barrier made life more than a little challenging when the brothers arrived in small-town Minnesota. But they found running and soccer could bridge cultural divides in junior high and high school.
That perseverance - plus the desire to play soccer - brought them to Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount, where they're finding success and may also be opening a door to higher education for other Somali-born students.
Akey is in the school's Exercise and Sports Science program. Dahir is finishing his general education requirements. Both hope to earn two-year degrees and continue at a university.
Imagine what it feels like "when you go to school and sit in a class full of American kids and they're speaking English, and you can't speak one word," said Akey, 21. "We didn't know anything about America."
Their fellow students in Marshall, Minn., didn't know a whole lot about Somali culture, either. The Jumales were among the first to the region in a wave of Somali immigrants that began in the 1990s. The schools' students were nearly all white, and the immigration triggered some conflict.
They found a way to build bridges through running. Akey and Dahir, along with their older brother and other Somali students, found success on Marshall High's track team, helping propel Marshall to the state tournament for the first time.
That success and the bond they shared with their teammates helped create a new level of acceptance for Somali students.
Akey said he saw himself as a "peacemaker."
Soccer is the Jumale brothers' passion. When they started to look for opportunities after high school, they found Dakota County Tech - one of only a handful of Minnesota public colleges that have a men's soccer program.
Sara Woodward, an instructor in the Exercise and Sports Science program who has taught Akey and Dahir, says the brothers are hard workers and eager to learn.
"They've really added something to our experience here," she said, noting most of the school's students are from Dakota County. "They have had experiences beyond their years."
Because Dakota County Tech is one of the few schools with a men's soccer program, it has increasingly become a draw for students who, like Akey and Dahir, come from countries where soccer is king.
"Akey and Dahir are prime examples of students who can transition here (in Minnesota), see the value of higher education and use soccer as a motivator to get them into it," said Stoltz, who believes the brothers have the ability to play soccer at an NCAA level.
Akey said a couple of Somali high school students he knows have already asked about the soccer program and college life. It's a path more Somali teens in Minnesota may follow.
Paul Tosto covers higher education and can be reached at [email protected].
Akey And Dahir Jumale
Ages: 21 and 19
School: Dakota County Technical College
Hometown: Marshall, Minn., by way of Somalia
Future: Both hope to finish at Dakota County Tech and continue at a four-year school.
Noteworthy: Their father, Abdullahi
Source: Pioneer Press, Feb. 18, 2008