Robel: The Best of Both Worlds

Loving. Passionate. Authentic. Straightforward. Driven. Believer.

My family is originally from Eritrea and as first-generation, my experience was definitely different from others.

I had a strong sense of identity instilled in me by my parents and community and so when kids would try to bully me for being African or “different,” I didn’t really pay it too much mind. However, being caught in two worlds definitely provided some tough, and sometimes funny, lessons around cultural understanding and how I can operate in both worlds as both Eritrean and American. Speaking Tigrinya (my parents native tongue) is something that keeps me connected to my roots and I’m so grateful to know it. So often, being first-generation you can get caught between two worlds and society can make it seem like you have to choose one or the other. However, having such grounded parents with a strong sense of pride in their culture’s traditions and legacy, they instilled the same strong sense of pride and how I come from a long legacy of warriors and fighters. This is evident in how I approach my day-to-day interactions, my business with Athletic Form and how I engage with my community – knowing in the back of my mind that those lessons, traditions and that culture helped make me the man that I am today.