Photo: Steve Nettnin

Muihaki (Haki) K.


28, Software Engineer
Detroit, MI

Both of my parents came to the United States from Nairobi, Kenya. My dad went to the University of Wisconsin and my mom went to school in New York. They met while my mom was in school in New York. I was born in New Jersey, and then moved to Silver Spring. When I was 10, we moved back to Nairobi. After high school, I went to university at Michigan Tech in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I’ve been here ever since.This country is my home now. I am an American at heart no matter what, but I have the benefit of both cultures. That is what makes America great. There are so many people like me here that have these two different cultures that meet and come together. That is the reason I have been here so long and why I consider America my home.

Why did your family come to the United States? My mom wanted to have the opportunities that no one else in my family did. As a result, she was the first to leave Kenya for school.

What would the U.S. be missing out on if you or your people were banned? I like to believe anytime I meet someone and they get to learn about Kenya, they learn more about the world.