I started the Fellowship excited at the opportunity afforded. The money to go back to school and pay for living expenses was a lifeline. What did the fellowship do for me? A whole lot. I got the time to travel across the country talking up our Average Mohamed Program. I went to New York City, Arizona, Massachusetts, Washington DC. I even got an extra $5,000 to go to South By Southwest. Where I was a speaker at the event. I got awarded Citizen Diplomat of the Year 2018 because the fellowship allowed me to speak to visiting dignitaries from across the world. The award I share with Maya Angelou, Activist Poet felt really good. What I did not know is the prestige that comes with the fellowship. People see you in a different light for getting it. I proudly say I am Bush Foundation Fellow. It has opened doors for me.As a foundation fellow, I got the most important thing. Time, time to reflect, time to think without the ordinary of the daily life interrupting with the financial assistance. It did improve our effort drastically. I found the peace of mind I got translated into works. That stands out the most. I also got time to be with family. I used to work 70 hours a week as a manager at a corporate retail. I left my job the moment the fellowship kicked in. Now going back to the employment line. I missed working, damn puritans ruined our values because all I did was work and activism. I have two semesters to finish my degree. My mother has been nagging me for over two decades that I go back to school. Trust a Somali mother to want the best for her son. I learnt self care. Did not know what that was, being a workaholic. I came to understand that I need positive energy along to be replenished. that I needed to take time out to do so. This was new to me. it took a while to get to understand what that means. That surprised me how I took to it so easily. The coaching calls I did not use extensively because I already knew what I wanted out of this fellowship. I will miss the free time I got from the fellowship. I will miss the outstanding staff at Bush Foundation. Who knows what the future holds but this fellowship changed my whole life. I am a better man for it. And it let me do exactly what it was meant to do for the state of Minnesota. Give back in more ways to our communities, society and country. something I am very proud of. To Bush Foundation I say thank you. This has been a blast.