Manhattan resident shares his journey of resilience and second chances

A lot of people see the new year as a time leave the past behind and envision a future full of possibilities. As we settle into 2024, WNYC’s Community Partnerships desk is highlighting stories within our communities that center around the idea of fresh starts. Minbiyew Ashagre lives in Manhattan. He's a case manager with the non-profit organization, Project Renewal.

The transcript of Minbiyew Ashagre's story has been lightly edited for clarity.

My name is Minbiyew Ashagre. I'm from Manhattan, and I am a case manager at a place called Project Renewal in Manhattan. Project Renewal is an organization that helps people that are coming out of the system, that have low income, poverty stricken. This job means a lot to me. It was something that I've always been wanting, a role as a case manager. I owe Project Renewal a lot for giving me kind of a second chance in life. It was very hard to get where I'm at right now, you know? Seems like it's nothing, but I really went through a lot of hurdles.

I am Ethiopian born. I grew up in Addis Ababa. From being born, I've had some rough starts. I was kidnapped from my parents when I was young. Through the kidnapping, I was forced to beg on the streets for money. I was stabbed in the left eye. I had an infection in my eye that was going to kill me if I didn't get it treated. My story got out. I was adopted by doctors in the U. S. When I went to high school, I joined a lot of different programs, but what I excelled in was track and field. I was very good at that. I felt like it was something that could send me to the Olympics one day. When I was getting ready to go to college, my life changed for the worse. I ended up getting shot. The bullet paralyzed me from the chest down fully. That stopped everything. When you're told that you're never going to walk again, that's just like, geez, you don't even believe it at first. After months and months, you learn to accept, not your fate, but you learn to accept what is. You know, you have to learn to move forward.

I'm happy where I'm at. I'm grateful, very grateful to be alive. I think about everything I have been through in life, where I'm at now, and I always just say to myself, I'm truly blessed.