My name is Tesfaye Negussie. I am 27 years old and was raised in Wheaton, Maryland. As the son of political refugees from Ethiopia, I have strong ties to the Ethiopian and African communities, as well as the African-American community. I recently graduated from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. I have freelanced for The Washington Post, PBS, NPR, The Village Voice and several other media outlets. Right after attaining my Masters degree from Columbia University in broadcast journalism I worked in production for PBS's news-magazine show, NOW on PBS with David Brancaccio.

I think a game changer is someone who has overcome many odds in order to do positive things for him/herself, his/her family and his/her community. More importantly, they do it by following their own path and not following what people expect of them.

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"Nearly 75% of inner city youth will witness, be a victim of, or know someone who's a victim of a violent crime, before the age of 13. Almost NONE of them will receive psychological counseling or therapy to help them cope with the trauma." Michael Scott

My name is Michael Scott and I'm 38 years old. I was born and raised in the city of Chicago.

For the past 10 years I was employed in the field of Special Education. Four of those years I worked with abused and neglected youth who were deemed as wards of the state. I am currently employed as an assistant teacher with the Special Education program for Chicago Public Schools. I'm also enrolled to begin classes in January 2011, as a Freshman, at Kennedy King College and Northeastern Illinois University/Center for Inner City Studies where I'll be seeking my Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology. After I receive my degree I will continue to act as a community advocate in neglected urban communities. I'm currently filming my first film project, '1 Way Out- The Hood, The Grind, The Struggle.' '1 Way Out' probes the lives of individuals who suffer from mental and psychic trauma brought on by violent crimes/acts.

The media has portrayed us with such an negative image that, as a fellow of the 2025 Campaign and premier filmmaker I am encouraged to "captivate and educate" while encouraging our future youth to recognize their potential to become positive and productive members of society.

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• Chicago
• Milwaukee
• New Orleans
• New York
• Oakland
• Philadelphia
• Washington D.C.