Today we’d like to introduce you to Sayidomar Mohamed.
Sayidomar, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
When I heard the missile hit the ground, I would breathe easily again because I knew it had passed my house. I was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, one of the most dangerous cities in a country the world forgot. My country is still a place where violence is frequent, diseases are enemies, and famine worsens each time it strikes. I experienced first-hand two of the major conflicts of my country: the civil war for control of the country, and illegal immigration to a refugee camp in Kenya in search of a better life and freedom.
During the civil war, most of the military helicopters seemed to be targeting everyone. It reached a point where I just gave up. I said to myself, “It is over. I won’t be alive.” At that moment, I cuddled my mom as thousand of bullets passed above us. The tree leaves were constant falling on us. One of my younger siblings became very ill and later died because the air was filled of toxic pollution.
In short, my journey to where I am now was not easy. With the help of Allah (God), I have become strong! So many people helped me along the way. Thanks to Starr family who played a big role in my life! I don’t want to give too much detail about my journey for safety purpose. However, despite having experienced the civil war in Somalia, I carry a positive outlook. It is this positive outlook that allows me to succeed in whatever I decide to accomplish.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I came to the US as a junior high school student in 2016. I attended Rabun Gap Nacoochee School. The transition was very difficult for a few months but I enjoyed the peace and the freedom I was surrounded with. The role Rabun Gap High School played in my life is limitless. It gave me the opportunity to try different things that I never thought I would do. The diversity of the school was amazing. I would sit at a table with 10-15 different countries! Junior year was a year of learning. I wanted to learn everything, figure out some ways I could improve myself and be involved in the school. I was a very shy person so if I wanted to leave a legacy, I had to overcome so many challenges. I participated in public speaking and some other clubs that helped me potentially. The goal was not to be the same every year.
In 2018, I launched my own YouTube channel to enhance my English. This is the 6th to 7th year of speaking English. Outside class, I spent most of my time learning how to edit videos. On the other side, I was the President of Inclusion Initiative. It is a program focused on gender, race, and culture. I won a couple of awards including Most Improved in Cross Country and Coach’s Award in Track and Field. My overall experience in Rabun Gap School was positive.
Coming back to my YouTube channel, I was kinda shy facing the camera. I made so many mistakes in my videos. However, deep in my heart, I knew I wanted to make the channel great. I was looked down upon by some dudes who were just negative. I didn’t know what their problem was. They made fun of my videos. I will not mention the name but someone said that my channel “Sucks and no one will watch my content”. Sometimes they would make fun of how skinny I was when we are in the gym. I knew I had to be very strong. During those times, the ones who pushed me forward and told me to never give up were a few of my friends, my parents, my cousins, and Starr family. Shout out to my Mom, Dad, Gassim, Audrey, Zaki, Susan and Jonathan who were always there for me!
Right after I finished high school, I made some major changes to my YouTube channel. I always wanted to be unique so I changed from English to Somali contents because there was a demand of Somali YouTubers. If I wanted to make a difference in my country and help my people, the first step can be YouTube!
Please tell us about Amir Sayid.
I want to be a successful entrepreneur. I want to help my people and my country. YouTube can play a big role in this journey. As I am writing this, I have 29K subscribers and over 1M total views. My fans really enjoy my content! I am a self-taught Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects, two of the most powerful video editing software in the market.
I am currently a freshman at TCU. The people here are so friendly and the campus is absolutely beautiful! There are so many opportunities students can take advantage of! I am the VP of Marketing of Neeley Entrepreneurship. I am responsible for interacting with local business for a visit and promotion. I am responsible for sending weekly promotional messages to four hundred members. I am also a VP of Operation at Turbulent & Company where we bring the best style from hottest brands.
What I am mostly proud is the fact that I didn’t give up on my channel. I pushed it and found my way! The channel is projected to cross over 100K within a year! I am forever grateful of Jonathan and Susan who are constantly helping me and other talented somalis get world class education so we can give back to our people and help our country. This is my mission and I am ready to leave that legacy behind! If you want to learn more, visit Abaarso School and see how they are developing the leaders of tomorrow!”
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Well, being born in a country that was already going through war did not allow me to make good memories so I would say I don’t have a favorite.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpj6oR2JzqhtPGGNLSeSCIg?view_as=subscriber
- Email: sayidomar0193@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amir_sayid/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amirsayid143/
Image Credit:
Photos Credit: Eric Sasadeusz
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