A Family We Will Never Forget
Opinion
by Alyssa Brooke Young
Taylor County High School

The Governor’s Scholars Program has been providing high school seniors with amazing opportunities for 30 years.
Every year, the scholars at each of three GSP campuses perform a service project in the local community. This year, with the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program celebrating its 30th anniversary, Executive Director Aris Cedeño wanted to do something special.
    After much thought, he and his staff on the Bellarmine University campus agreed to take on a project that they had been talking about for years. They decided to partner with Habitat for Humanity and build a house for a deserving family in Louisville. But first they had to convince Habitat officials to do a build in four weeks instead of the usual 12 so the project could be completed during the five-week GSP residency program. And GSP wanted all 360 scholars at Bellarmine to have a hand-on experience in the project. Although reluctant at first, Habitat officials agreed.
    When we scholars found out that we were going to help construct a house in just four short weeks, we were all excited and eager to learn more about the project. During a convocation on the second day of the program, Aris told us exactly what we would be doing and who we would be working with. That night we were all introduced to the family. It was a family with a story that inspired each of us. A family none of us will ever forget.
    The parents, Omar Muse and Ubah Adan, each fled war-torn Somalia where their lives were in constant danger. They met and married here in the United States, and built new lives with their young family.
    They have four beautiful children: Ali, Mohammed, Hawa, Kamal, and they have another one on the way. They have been living in an apartment with their kids and Ubah’s two younger sisters, Hana and Asha.
    Omar and Ubah dreamed of owning a home where their children could grow and play in peace and safety. It seemed like an impossible dream until Habitat accepted their application for a home.
    With Habitat, that does not mean “Free House.” It means a long-term commitment to pay for the house, interest-free, and whole lot of work. Habitat requires families to put in at least 400 hours of “sweat equity,” working on their house, on other worksites or at the Habitat store. While working on their house,  site, both Omar and Ubah suffered minor injuries. On the first day that a crew of scholars began working on the house, a scholar standing on a ladder dropped his hammer, hitting Ubah in the nose and sending her to the Emergency room. Thankfully she came out with no more than a black eye and sore nose. Omar, who works full-time as a taxi driver, twisted his knee one day while working at the site.
Despite their injuries, they were constantly at the worksite, contributing greatly to the construction of their new home.  They far exceeded the required 400 hours and were an inspiration to all of us.
    I asked Omar what he and Ubah thought when they were told that 360 teenagers would be helping them construct their new home.
    “We were shocked,” Omar said. “But we knew it was a blessing.”
    Both Omar and Ubah were deeply appreciative of all the help they received. Usually, whenever a group of scholars arrived at the worksite one of the family members – Omar, Ubah or Asha –  were there working. You couldn’t count how many times they thanked us for our efforts. They were always in good spirits and happy to be building their house, despite the record-breaking heat wave that plagued us.
The family built relationships with the scholars as they worked together. The day I went to the site, one of my friends, Lauren Dale, of Shelby County High School, worked with Asha during our four-hour work shift. They quickly formed a friendship, and. Lauren said she was inspired by Asha’s determination to help out her family.
As we departed, I watched Lauren and Asha hug each other. I couldn’t help but smile, realizing not only the impact that we were having on the family, but also the impact the family was having on us.
 “Being a part of a project like that was a blessing,” said scholar Niko Carter, of Lloyd Memorial High School in Erlanger. “It meant a lot to me to be able to do something like that for someone.”