Somali Student Association to raise awareness and funds for troubled somali youth

The Somali Student Association at OSU will host first annual fundraising dinner, “Honoring the Horn,” on Sunday. Credit: Courtesy of Somali Student Association

The Somali Student Association at Ohio State will host its first annual fundraising dinner, “Honoring the Horn,” on Sunday in an effort to raise awareness and funds for Somali youth education.

The focus of the event is to increase access to education for Somali youth. SSA President Safiyo Mohamud, a third-year in international studies, said the lack of Somali students in colleges worries the Somali community as a whole, something SSA is working to combat.

“[Columbus has] the second largest Somali immigrant population in America. But this doesn’t add up with the number of Somali students at OSU, or colleges in general,” Mohamud said.

The event will feature a panel that includes Ohio State professors, local teachers, social workers and police liaison officers. Following that, there will be discussions at each table with moderators, and spoken word later on.

All proceeds of the event will be donated and split between an SSA mentorship scholarship, which includes providing mentees who have completed the program with laptops and additional financial assistance, Muslim Youth of Central Ohio and Local Pathway.

“We believe it’s crucial to have a resource like this in order to get involved in the community,” Ayan Haji, SSA’s outreach chair and second-year in psychology, said.

Haji added it is crucial to have a resource that helps in the community.

“The SSA mentorship program’s main goal is to provide a resource to Somali high school students and essentially help them reach their highest potential,” Haji said.

This year, SSA has partnered with Columbus International High School in Columbus, Ohio in order to mentor 10 first-generation Somali students. Somali students at Ohio State are matched to a high-school student and address a different theme each month. These themes range from self development to assistance with college applications.

“Everything we do,” Mohamud said, “it’s an attempt to better the youth.”

The event will be at 6 p.m. on Dec. 2 in the Agricultural Administration Building. The dress code is semi-formal. More information about the event can be found on SSA’s Facebook page.

Students can buy tickets at the door for $15, while non-student tickets are $20 and VIP tickets are $30.