“I saw a light in the tunnel, and then I saw it going off, but then, the help I got from Emily Griffith, gave me new hope.”
Suleiman Kayita Pulled Through Hard Times Thanks to Emily Griffith Foundation Scholarships
Three years ago, Suleiman Kayita fled his home in Tanzania, Africa, due to a difference in political ideology with the government. He was forced to leave his wife and six children.
“I’m an asylum seeker. I came here just to seek protection,” he says.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helped him leave Africa for Denver — a move that happened just three months before COVID-19 hit the United States.
His initial goal was to start English Language Acquisition classes at Emily Griffith Technical College, but the coronavirus put that on hold.
Prior to the pandemic, Suleiman was cleaning restaurants with a group of people, but COVID-19 restrictions were implemented and lockdown ensued. He lost his job, had no money to pay rent and found himself homeless, living out of his car.
“It was a hard time,” he says. “I had to look for parking spots to sleep. Sometimes people say you can’t park. Many times I parked on the roadside, because there's not a lot of disturbance.”
To make things worse, his English was not very good and he found it difficult to communicate. He learned some English in Africa, but it was British-style English, which is much different from American English.
Luckily, the IRC helped him with gas money and guided him to shelters in Denver where he received food and showers.
After three months of living out of his car, the IRC found him housing in Lakewood at Angelica Village, a housing community that helps people in need.
Once restrictions were lifted, IRC helped Suleiman get into Emily Griffith’s English program.
He had very little money, was behind on rent and wasn’t sure if he could continue the courses. One of his instructors told him that he could receive scholarships, and he applied right away.
With the help of the Emily Griffith Foundation, he was awarded money that helped him pay rent and tuition. He was also able to save some money in order to send funds home to his wife and kids.
“I saw a light in the tunnel, and then I saw it going off, but then, the help I got from Emily Griffith, gave me new hope,” he said.
He has received nearly $6,000 in scholarships, including a COSI Back to Work scholarship through a grant that Emily Griffith Foundation secured for Emily Griffith Technical College students. After Suleiman finished his ELA classes, he enrolled and started in the HVAC program at the College.
Prior to fleeing to the United States, Suleiman owned a confectionery in Africa, selling breads, candy and other sweet goodies. Although Emily Griffith Technical College has a robust culinary program, Suleiman opted for HVAC training.
His goal is to be his own boss and own his own business. So he thought, “what can I do if I’m alone? If I’m doing it by myself, what can I do?”
Suleiman found that HVAC is certainly a business he could build on his own.
“When I looked at the different courses that were available at Emily Griffith, I saw that, depending on the experience that I had, HVAC was more fitting to me,” says Suleiman who will graduate from the HVAC program in November. Before he opens his own HVAC business, he plans on working for an HVAC company and gaining more knowledge and experience. After that, he wants to start his own company, and eventually make enough money to bring his wife and six kids to America.
None of this would be possible without the help he received from Emily Griffith Foundation.
“The support I got to see me achieve my goals was help that I never expected, and it gave me new hope and new belief. It made me even more focused that I can go and achieve my goals,” he says.