I wrote ‘The REFUGENE Manifesto’ as my interpretation of what it takes to be successful, and I kept it in my wallet as a personal reminder to work hard towards my goals.
The REFUGENE Manifesto
The REFUGENE is resilience. It takes people from survival to success — the toughness of refugees combined with an immigrant’s ambition.
This grit is born from struggle. It survives desperation. It knows humility and it values kindness. It dreams big. It observes successes and remembers failures. It learns. It hustles. It stays resourceful and keeps pushing forward. It says, “watch me” when told, “you can’t.”
The REFUGENE endures for family. It’s “no excuses.” It moves your body and stares back in the mirror. It’s uncomfortable and uncommon. It brings us together. It sets us apart. This resilience is our defining characteristic.
The REFUGENE is in our DNA, either dominant or recessive, and therein lies our mission: Find it in yourself, look for it in others, and live by it for life. Tell our stories to imprint the REFUGENE on the next generation, and give our lineage the grit it takes to be successful.