Unsung Hero awardee Murjan Abdi helps city youth overcome obstacles similar to his

Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Murjan Abdi, a Syracuse native, experienced the hardships of being raised in the city. Now, he is helping local students connect with opportunities he never had.

“What really motivates me is I see myself in these kids, I see where they are growing up from, we are growing up from the same block,” Abdi said. “If I can help (them), they can help me.”

Abdi, who was honored Sunday with Syracuse University’s 39th Annual Unsung Hero Award, graduated from the Institute of Technology at Syracuse Central in 2019. His personability and community-driven nature have allowed him to mentor and bond with Syracuse youth beyond his role as a workforce development assistant with the Manufacturers Association of Central New York.

The Unsung Hero Award was created to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of promoting change and is given annually to Syracuse community members, students, faculty and staff who have made a positive impact on the lives of others but are not widely recognized for their contributions, according to an SU news release.

As someone who had to overcome a lot of obstacles at a young age — including cerebral palsy, the loss of his mother and being from a family that immigrated to the U.S. — Abdi said he had to persevere and learn to accept who he is. The Unsung Hero Award, Abdi said, means “opportunity” for him and students like him in the community.

“This recognition literally tells people don’t let nothing stop you. You could have a disability or lose a bunch of people in your life, but don’t let that stop you from getting where you are trying to get at,” Abdi said.

Abdi began working for MACNY in August 2022 for Partners for Education & Business, Inc., a nonprofit organization that brings workforce development to K-16 school districts. At PEB, he works directly with students from marginalized communities, conducting resume reviews, mock interviews, character development and other activities that help expose students to job opportunities and training.

Abdi has “spearheaded” PEB’s efforts to further connect with people, specifically youth, through social media in central New York, Taylor Hodge, director of PEB and Abdi’s supervisor at MACNY, said.

In addition to his other responsibilities at MACNY, Hodge said Abdi has a “natural ability” for building relationships with students, especially since he was a student in the Syracuse City School District himself.

“It’s so powerful when you think about him standing on the other side of the table saying, ‘Hey, I did this, here’s where I am now,’” Hodge said. “Hearing that message from someone who looks like you and who has sat in your seat is very powerful.”

Abdi, who said he was the first Black hire in the nearly all-white workforce at MACNY, is now aiming to create a more diverse and inclusive community for the students he mentors. His work has also made him question the traditional hiring practices that exclude those without college degrees.

“Half of the population in Syracuse don’t have (college) degrees, so why are not including them into the work life? We talk about workforce development, but we’re not getting anywhere.”

Jess Charboneau, who met Abdi when he was 13, mentored Abdi at a similar nonprofit to PEB. She said his perseverance, charisma and empathy are what set him apart in the community.

Abdi credits Charboneau as the person who helped him overcome his anxieties about his disability.

“He (is) just constantly thinking of others in ways that make the community better,” Charboneau said.

Abdi, who obtained his associate degree in business administration and management from Onondaga Community College, is currently pursuing a bachelor’s in business through online school at SUNY Empire State University. One day, he hopes to start his own business where he can leverage his connections as resources for local students.

Beyond the Unsung Hero Award, Abdi was also recognized in 2023 with the Champion of Diversity Award from the YWCA and the SCSD Alumni Award to honor his commitment to service, diversity and inclusion.

“Murjan has just such a huge heart and would help anyone, and that goes outside of our day-to-day work,” Hodge said. “I see that he’s out in his community helping others, getting the word out about resources that are available, specifically to students. I think he has this real passion for youth development.”

Abdi said his commitment to youth development is rooted in his personal experiences growing up as the oldest of eight siblings. Abdi cited his father’s influence as the biggest contribution to his success and passion for community service.

Hodge said Abdi continues to be a “role model” for his younger siblings, serving as both a mentor and a resource to them, especially since the passing of their mother.

“Even in this professional chapter of his life, he’s still helping his siblings with school,” she said. “It carries over into the students that we’re working with through programs, it carries into the community.”

Shannon Nolan, the assistant director for Early College Pathways and Abdi’s former student navigator at OCC, said his challenges are the reason why he serves the community and its youth.

“Murjan never let any of these obstacles stop him,” Nolan wrote in an email to The Daily Orange. “These same obstacles are what fuel Murjan’s desire to give back and pull others up.”

Prior to his work at MACNY, Abdi significantly expanded the Educational Opportunity Program at OCC. Abdi remains connected to the college, regularly visiting campus and working with students. Nolan said he is the most involved alumni that she has seen at OCC.

“He has always been involved, always smiling and always willing to help in any way that he can,” Nolan wrote in the email. “He remembers where he came from and who has helped him on his journey, and he is eager to pay it forward.”

In his past role as a financial mentor at CNY Works, Abdi focused on financial literacy, educating students on credit and how to open their own bank accounts. His motivation for this, he said, stemmed from his personal experience of opening a bank account alone at 16 and having to navigate various jobs after high school without guidance.

Abdi said the most rewarding part of his jobs have been serving as the mentor he would have wanted as a kid. Citing specific examples from his career, including helping a student get a job at Northside Collision and opening up more than 500 bank accounts for students, Abdi knows he found the right career for him.

“That’s when I knew in my heart that actually I’m doing good work,” Abdi said. “That was that spark and now I’m pushing to help other people.”