Abdi Aden

Abdi Aden arrived at the age of fifteen when Somalia's brutal civil war forced him to flee his home.

Despite unimaginable hardships, Abdi's journey took him from refugee camps in Romania, where he arrived alone in Melbourne, without money, and without speaking English. Against all odds, he not only survived but thrived, later becoming a youth worker and an inspiration to many.

Yet, against the odds, he not only survived, he thrived. Abdi went on to complete secondary education and later went to university. He became a youth worker, was acknowledged with the 2007 Victorian Refugee Recognition Award, and was featured in the SBS second series of Go Back to Where You Came From. Then wrote two books, Yes I Can and Shining, the Story of a Lucky Man.

Despite what he has gone through, Abdi is the most inspiring man, who is constantly thankful for his life and what he has. Everything he has endured and achieved is testament to his quiet strength and courage, his resilience, and most of all, his warm-hearted, shining, and enduring optimism.