McMaster student wins first Mandela Award
Michael Abraham, inaugural winner of the Nelson Mandela Award and a McMaster student, moved to Canada from South Africa 11 years ago. 'I find that, in order to relate to youth, you have to understand where they’re coming from,' he told CBC Hamilton.
First-year McMaster student Michael Abraham received the inaugural Nelson Mandela Award during Saturday’s John C. Holland Awards ceremony, along with a $1,000 academic scholarship.
The award, created by the Hamilton Black History Committee, recognizes a young person from the Hamilton area with a keen interest in human rights, social justice and community service.
Abraham sat down with CBC Hamilton reporter Cory Ruf on Sunday, and recounted his upbringing in South Africa, his passion for volunteering and the future of young minorities in Hamilton.
“I’ve always felt that I don’t really deserve to be here,” Abraham told CBC Hamilton. “I’ve always wondered if there should be something that I should be doing in terms of ‘paying my own way’ or ‘paying for that plane ticket.’ So I feel that, in terms of community work or going into social work, that’s the best way I can do it.”
