Life Lessons from Paulo: Embracing Opportunity and Going Further Together

The world is watching: the 2024 Paris Olympics are starting this week. On this exciting occasion, we caught up with Paulo Amotun Lokoro, athlete, recent graduate in social work from Sheridan College, and alum of the Student Refugee Program. Paulo is a track and field athlete who has competed in many elite sporting events as an independent athlete and as a member of the Refugee Olympic Team, notably in the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He recently chatted with us about his journey, sharing lessons on athletics, education, life as a refugee, and working together in pursuit of a better world.

Find What Drives You, Then Take It Further

Paulo fled the conflict in South Sudan when he was eleven, and reunited with his family in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. He worked hard to catch up to his grade level; he had missed school due to farm labor responsibilities given him by guardian, also the war made pursuing an education unsafe for many young people. Throughout his early school years he developed a passion for sports, particularly soccer and running.

As Paulo criss-crossed the playing field, playing soccer every day, he simply wanted to keep running. Further. Sometimes his soccer trainers would send the team for a 5km run. “When they told us we have to go for a run,” Paulo said, “I went beyond. If they said go 5km, I went 7km. Then they’d ask me, ‘Paulo, why? What’s wrong? Why are you going more than five?’ I told them, ‘I feel like my body is moving, so what can I do?’” 

If something excites you, run with it. As Paulo learned, it’s worth putting the extra energy into something you feel passionate about, even if you can’t see what it’s leading to.

Don’t Let Uncertainty Stop You

When Paulo was in grade eight, a race with a cash prize came up, open to runners from across the area. The Kakuma-Kalobeyei settlement is large, with a population of over 250,000. With many strong runners, and the additional motivation of the cash prize, the competition was fierce.

At 6:00 AM on race day, Paulo went to the grounds where other boys were gathering, knowing that he would run no matter what. Even though he still did not have running shoes. Another boy lent him his running shoes at the last minute, seeing how much the race meant to him.

At 8:00 AM, Paulo stood among 100 participants. He recounted the tense energy of the countdown to start the 8km race: “They said, “One minute remaining. Remaining one minute, so you guys have to be ready.’ Then almost one minute passed, 30 seconds. And then, now, the race starts now. Boom, they shoot a gun.” It was a little scary for a teenage boy to run for the first time in such a large crowd, but Paulo said to himself: “Let me see if I can try to run with these guys.” Some strong runners took the lead for the first 6km, but when they tired, he pulled ahead and won the race. The morning had started with uncertainty, but you never know where a brave step will take you.

Embrace Unexpected Opportunities

Paulo went on to travel the world as a member of the Refugee Olympic Team for the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Throughout these intensive years of training and international competition, his home was still with his family living as refugees in Kakuma. His involvement with WUSC began through the Refugee Athlete Stream of the Student Refugee Program, a pilot initiative facilitated by WUSC in partnership with the International Olympic Committee and UNHCR. Following an interview process, Paulo and two of his athlete peers contemplated a future they had never imagined: resettling and pursuing postsecondary education in Canada.

In 2021, WUSC informed the young athletes that they had been selected for the program. Just before he left Kenya for the Tokyo Games in July, Paulo learned that his immigration application to Canada was approved and he would be leaving for Canada in August. It was a summer of monumental events. The three athletes completed extensive preparations, still not quite believing that this opportunity was real, culminating in an emotional and exciting departure to Canada. Each embraced the unexpected opportunity, and began writing this new chapter in their lives.

Sport Makes Space for Collaboration and Refugee Leadership 

Paulo has a strong belief in the potential of sport to highlight the talents and skills of refugees, and to bring people together and create the conditions for a more peaceful world. This potential lies in the collaborative, rather than competitive nature of sports.

Of course, young Paulo was intimidated at first by his first big race in Kakuma, starting at gunshot amidst a big crowd of runners, many of whom were older and stronger. It felt different though, when he caught up to the pack, and there was a thrilling collective energy and mutual encouragement. The runners motivated one another. Paulo said: “They tell you, ‘Come, come, come, let’s go. Let’s push this all together. ‘Then I told them, ‘Okay. Let’s go.’” Still today, his ethos is not about being the best or about dominating the competition, but about showing respect, exercising patience, and having faith that one’s turn will come. What he, and many other athletes, have learned on the field, applies more broadly to life.

Sport has the unique characteristic of being able to capture the world’s attention in a positive way, and to build alliances for social goals beyond sport itself including promoting the need for durable solutions for refugees. Certain athletes step up as mentors and as influential public figures; they have a heightened ability to connect with people and large platforms to share ideas. 

A number of prominent athletes with refugee backgrounds are vocal supporters of social movements, including advocating for the rights and leadership capacity of refugees. They can make the messages of those movements more accessible, and show what it means to support those movements in practice. They can also inspire other refugees — athletes or not — to know that their voice matters. As demonstrated by the International Olympic Committee’s leadership in creating the Refugee Olympic Team and supporting the search for durable solutions for refugee athletes, there is an important role to play for sports companies, athletic federations and athletes themselves who can also be powerful forces in finding solutions to the global displacement crisis. 

Our Voices Matter to Raise Awareness and Support for Refugee Issues

As Paulo explained, some people he met at Olympic events did not know that he was a refugee, or even understand what being a refugee means. He saw this as a chance to shed some light on the experience that millions of people have who are currently living as refugees.

It is important, Paulo says, for people who are living and have lived as refugees to inspire each other and to use their voice to speak up on issues they care about, as you never know who is listening. The WUSC network, including alumni of the Student Refugee Program, are not only dedicating their efforts to make this program possible, but are advocating more broadly in their communities across the country for greater awareness of and support for refugees. WUSC has taken our experience globally in venues like the Global Refugee Forum and by providing direct support to other entities that want to model resettlement pathways after the Student Refugee Program.

Paulo highlighted donors in particular as making a vital contribution to creating and sustaining student placements. They not only promote the idea of increased opportunities for refugee youth, but by donating also make those opportunities a reality.

As the 2024 Paris Olympics unfolds, we will especially be cheering on those athletes who are also champions for creating a better world. Their advocacy is needed more than ever.

Click to learn more about the Student Refugee Program and to donate. Donations from people like you are vital to support the Student Refugee Program, so that WUSC can create more placements for refugee students to resettle and pursue their studies. If you are interested in other forms of giving, such as self-led fundraisers, corporate giving, or payroll giving through your workplace please contact [email protected].