CRIS 30th Anniversary Story | Jeylaani

Jeylaani (pictured center) with his five younger siblings [Photo credit: Amy Toensing]

“To be an American is a privilege. I appreciate America…and I always say, ‘God bless America.’”

Jeylaani knows what it is like to have nothing. He grew up in rural Somalia. When he was just a boy, his mother died.  His father visited him and his siblings frequently, but his father lived elsewhere with Jeylaani’s half-siblings.  When it became unsafe for them where they were in Somalia they fled to  Kenya. That part of Jeylaani’s family was resettled to Columbus in 2005 by CRIS. Jeylaani’s father passed away in the U.S. in 2010, making him the legal guardian of his five younger siblings at the age of 15. He took on this enormous responsibility to take care of these children living as refugees in Kenya while he too was still a child.

 Jeylaani’s oldest half-brother, Malik, was among those resettled with their father in 2005. Upon their father’s death, Malik knew that Jeylaani and his other five half-siblings would need additional support and a pathway to long-term safety and stability. Malik re-connected with CRIS Executive Director Angie Plummer and sought help in bringing Jeylaani and the family to Columbus. Together they sought out a process to bring Jeylaani and his siblings to the U.S. and were helped by RefugePoint, an NGO with a presence in Kenya which was able to help secure a referral for resettlement and evaluation of their needs.

Three years later, in 2013, Jeylaani and his siblings were finally able to make the long journey to be reunited with their family in Columbus. Jeylaani had just turned 18, so he assumed full legal responsibility for his siblings.  None of them had ever been able to attend school, and none of them spoke English. Jeylaani knew their journey would not be easy, but he was determined to see them all reach their full potential..

Upon arrival in the U.S. Jeylaani and his siblings moved into an apartment and he made sure the kids were all enrolled in school. He found a job earning $12 an hour–a shock to his system after working 12 hours a day for $3 a day. His limited English and lack of formal education made it hard for him to pursue higher education, initially. But he landed a security job that allowed him to have time to study while he worked. 

Jeylaani’s English skills improved quickly and he was able to study his way to passing the GED exam. He was later accepted at The Ohio State University, where he studied tirelessly while continuing to work and care for his siblings. “I studied up to 10 hours a day, often teaching myself things that my peers already seemed to have learned in the early years of their education. I’d also make sure to be home each evening to cook dinner for my siblings and make sure they were staying up on their studies.” 

In December of 2019, Jeylaani graduated from OSU with a degree in cybersecurity. Since then, he has put his cybersecurity degree to good use in jobs for the State of Ohio, Nielsen, and now J.P. Morgan Chase. As for his siblings, they took their cues from their older brother and have all graduated from university (or will soon!). One of his sisters now works as a Data Analyst for the Department of Health, one brother is a pharmacist, and his youngest sister is working to complete a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. 

“We came from zero, but we have taken advantage of opportunities from the resources that have been available to us since coming to the U.S. I don’t think there’s any other country on earth that I could be the person I am today.”