PHOTO GALLERY: Ahmed Abdalla fled Somalia to pursue an American Dream

July 8, 2012 | 6:00 a.m. CDT

Ahmed Abdalla and his family fled Somalia to live in a refugee camp in Kenya. After seven years there, the family was allowed to relocate to St. Louis. It's been a journey of imagination and reality as the family has adjusted and learned the many cultural challenges and a new language. Now 20, Abdalla works as a doorman at a St. Louis hotel and attends college classes.

Ahmed Abdalla peers out of his living room window from his second-story apartment in St. Louis in early May during his day off from work. Abdalla works as a bellman at the St. Louis Union Station Marriott. Originally from Somalia, Abdalla moved to the United States seven years ago after spending most of his life in a refugee camp in Kenya. On Tuesdays and Thursdays he takes an English grammar class at Forest Park Community College.

| Nick Agro

Ahmed Abdallah talks to his sister-in-law on the phone at his apartment in St. Louis. The living room is sparse except for a few decorative curtains, a carpet and two folding chairs. Abdalla shares the apartment with his older half-brother and often has other family members visit as well. | Nick Agro

Ahmed Abdallah waits to cross the street before getting some snacks at a local convenience store in St. Louis.
| Nick Agro

The large living room window of Ahmed Abdalla's apartment overlooks the parking lot for his apartment complex in St. Louis. Abdalla has moved around a lot, and this apartment marks his fifth address in seven years. | Nick Agro

Amhed Abdalla shares an apartment with his half-brother and sometimes his father. His father splits his time living with Ahmed and Ahmed's mother, who moved to Cape Girardeau in search for more affordable housing.
| Nick Agro