Happy news for members of the refugee soccer team in Albany, five of them graduated  from the Hackett Middle School with honors, Sakler Moo, in the pink shirt in the middle, had the highest GPA in the school graduating class – 97. He won the highest honors in the school.

Ali was very proud of all of them.

Scholastics are important on the team, the players have to maintain a high grade average to join the team or stay there, they have a lot of honor students. Ali teaches character as well as soccer in his coaching. The players have to be courteous, good to one another,  practice hard, and stay out of any kind of trouble.

Regular practice begins next week for the Fall season, we’re getting new uniforms, new hats, and the team has been renamed the Albany Warriors. We’re getting Sakler Moo a special gift for his remarkable grades. Sakler is a talented artist who hopes to be an engineer.

His family has suffered great in their own journey, they have been through a lot. Sakler is an especially courteous and kind-hearted young man. I am proud to know him, he is an asset to his school and his family and the team and his country.

Congratulations, Sakler. You are an inspiration, and a loud answer to anyone who denigrates refugees or suggests they do not belong in America.

In the video above, Ali talks about the team and how important it has become to the children who have joined.