Abukar Abukar’s unconventional path to graduation
Finding God in the darkness is a struggle with which most of us grapple. Where is God in the suffering so evident in the world? While we may doubt, God is there, present in a Church that seeks to walk with the afflicted, in organizations dedicated to alleviating suffering and challenging injustice, and people who manifest God’s love and mercy.
Like Jesuit Worldwide Learning (JWL) and its participant, Abukar Abukar.
JWL brings education opportunities to individuals and communities who lack access to traditionally structured learning systems. In providing a path for intellectual development that leads to self-sustaining careers, JWL fosters hope in a more peaceful and humane world. It builds on 470 years of the order’s dedication to education by providing students the best possible accompaniment on their scholastic journey and, in the process, forming agents of change.
Creighton is a participating institution within JWL, and to date, 16 JWL students have earned their Bachelor of Science degree with a minor in healthy lifestyle management from Creighton. All have resided as refugees—nine from Afghanistan, three from Malawi and four from Jordan, including Abukar—while pursuing their studies.
“The barriers that all these students had to overcome are unimaginable to us. I am so proud of each of them,” says Laurie Galeski, senior academic coach at Creighton’s College of Professional and Continuing Education.
Abukar earned his Bachelor of Science in Leadership from Creighton’s College of Professional and Continuing Education in August of 2024. He had planned on being the first JWL graduate in Creighton’s history to participate in commencement exercises in person this May, but weather interfered with his travel plans.
“Ever since I was accepted to Creighton, I dreamed of attending graduation in person and meeting my professors face-to-face,” Abukar says. Though unable to walk at graduation, he still plans to visit Creighton soon: “I am excited to see the university, to meet my professors, advisors and classmates. There is something truly special about visiting the campus of a university where I studied from more than 7,000 miles away.”
Abukar began his online degree with Creighton while living in Jordan. He is originally from Somalia and was a refugee in Jordan for 13 years before immigrating to the U.S. He is a software engineer with SEI in Delaware and is on his path to citizenship.
Of his post-graduate plans, he says, “I intend to dive deeper into programming and expand my knowledge in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.”
“The skills I gained at Creighton—especially in communication, critical thinking and problem-solving—have proven incredibly valuable during interviews and in my day-to-day work,” he adds.
He likens a Creighton education to a bird (a Bluejay, perhaps?) teaching its young to fly: “Even though the wings—knowledge—are available to everyone through the internet, Creighton taught us how to learn. It trained us to research, analyze, challenge ideas, collaborate and resolve conflict.”
Abukar believes the growth he experienced as a Creighton student through JWL is attributable to the program’s curriculum and University’s dedicated and knowledgeable professors. “I felt truly supported and seen, even though I was studying from a different country and culture,” he says.
A natural leader, Abukar has assumed leadership roles since childhood. As he matured, he saw that much of the world’s suffering, including war and famine, “stems from poor or corrupt leadership.”
“So, when I had the opportunity to study leadership formally, I was incredibly excited to further my understanding of this powerful and necessary concept,” he says.
He put his innate abilities and acquired knowledge to good use while living in Jordan, serving as a translator—he speaks Somali, English and Arabic fluently and French conversationally and is learning Spanish—and connecting fellow refugees to NGOs and other aid organizations. Additionally, Abukar volunteered with HeForShe, a United Nations initiative that combats gender-based violence against women and empowers women, especially among the refugee population. He believes that his own experience as a refugee provides first-hand insight on how refugees feel, the struggles they go through and the difficulties of their daily existence.
Abukar had a study buddy in his sister, Fowza, who also earned her Bachelor of Science in Leadership. “I am very proud of her achievements,” he says.
JWL graduates, like Abukar and Fowza, can change their corners of the world for the better. This is the power of education, of a Jesuit education that forms agents of change. For Abukar, education is more than a degree earned—it’s transformational.
“My journey at Creighton shows that no matter where you start or what challenges you face, with the right support and mindset, you can grow into a leader who makes a real impact,” he says. “Creighton gave me more than knowledge; it gave me the tools to shape my future and help others to do the same.”
