Syracuse Sun

An unexpected connection has emerged between a Department of Public Safety (DPS) officer and a former Syracuse University men's basketball player, facilitated by DPS Detective Mike Toia. The meeting took place at Bird Library, where Officer Teng Kiir and John "Bol" Ajak '22 shared their experiences of moving to the United States, discovering common ground.

Kiir's journey began when his parents decided to leave Sudan while his mother was pregnant. They first moved to Cairo, Egypt, before relocating to Chicago, Illinois in 2005. Despite language barriers and challenges in a new country, Kiir's family eventually settled in Syracuse, New York.

Similarly, Ajak left Sudan at the onset of war. His mother took him and his siblings to a refugee camp in Kenya. This period marked the beginning of his educational journey that later brought him to the U.S., where he started playing basketball and was recruited by Syracuse University. While there, Ajak recognized familiar struggles faced by families in Syracuse akin to those he saw in refugee camps. Motivated by this realization, he founded The Humbol Fund with friends and family. The charity aims to provide scholarships for Sudanese children to study in the U.S.

Ajak stated: “I want to help kids through school. Me being at Syracuse University was for school... If it’s possible for me, it is possible for the thousands of kids back home.”

Kiir expressed support for Ajak's initiative: “John’s charity is super impactful because it doesn’t just help our people back home in Sudan... Many Sudanese families that are new to the U.S.... a charity like John’s can help counteract that.”

Ajak hopes his charity will keep children off the streets and engaged in education while seeing Kiir as an influential figure within DPS: “The next Sudanese kids that are coming here will look up to him... This is a huge step for DPS because this helps the community.”

Kiir recently graduated from the Department of Public Safety’s Peace Officer Academy. He joined DPS aiming to connect with students on a deeper level than most officers might achieve and foster mutual understanding between students and DPS officers.