An unexpected connection was made between a current Department of Public Safety (DPS) officer and a former Syracuse University men’s basketball player thanks to a DPS detective. Detective Mike Toia brought DPS Officer Teng Kiir and former men’s basketball player John “Bol” Ajak ’22 together for a conversation in Bird Library. Sharing stories about their journeys to the United States and finding common ground, the two hit it off.
From left to right: Detective Mike Toia, Officer Teng Kiir, John “Bol” Ajak and Officer John Mazurowski
Kiir came to the United States at a very young age. While pregnant, Kiir’s mother and father chose to take a leap of faith and leave everything they love in Sudan. Kiir’s family made the journey to Cairo, Egypt. The next step for his parents was to leave Africa as a whole and move to the U.S. In 2005, Kiir and his family found themselves in Chicago, Illinois. With his parents not knowing any English and now with a very young child, they navigated through their new country, eventually settling in Syracuse, New York.
Ajak had a similar start to his journey, leaving Sudan as well. Ajak left at the start of the war when his mother took him and his older siblings to a refugee camp in Kenya. During this time, he started his education journey, which eventually helped land him an opportunity to come to the U.S. It was here that Ajak started playing basketball, eventually being recruited by the University. While at Syracuse, Ajak realized that it was a lot more like home than he could have imagined. He saw many families living in the City of Syracuse facing similar struggles to those at the refugee camp he was once in and decided that he wanted to do something to give back.
Teaming up with friends and family, Ajak created The Humbol Fund, which provides scholarships to kids in Sudan, helping them come to the U.S. to pursue their education.
“I want to help kids through school. Me being at Syracuse University, was for school. No one brought me here. I didn’t get drafted; I came to the United States because of school. If it’s possible for me, it is possible for the thousands of kids back home,” says Ajak.
“John’s charity is super impactful because it doesn’t just help our people back home in Sudan, but it also gives a sense of direction and hope for migrants from Sudan who are new to the U.S. and helps them navigate through these new windows of opportunities that have now opened for them,” says Kiir. “Many Sudanese families that are new to the U.S. end up in horrible living conditions because they come here with no guidance and are left blinded in what seems to be a whole new world to them; a charity like John’s can help counteract that.”
Ajak is hopeful that his charity will help keep kids coming to the U.S. off the streets and in school. He also believes having a familiar face like Kiir working as an officer for DPS will help bridge the gap.
“The next Sudanese kids that are coming here, will look up to him and hopefully abide by the law because it’s one of them telling them,” says Ajak. “In my mind, no one else can relate to them better than Teng can. This is a huge step for DPS, because this helps the community.”
Kiir graduated from the Department of Public Safety’s Peace Officer Academy in August. His reasoning for joining the force? He wants to be able to have the opportunity to connect with students on a level that most officers might not be able to, and not just connect, but understand them as well. Kiir says that in return, the students can also learn to understand the role of DPS and feel comfortable connecting with DPS officers.
