Absalom Lwande

Absalom Lwande grew up in Kenya in a family of limited resources. At 18, he moved to the United States to reunite with his father. Inspired by his uncle’s success as a lawyer, Absalom began attending Miami Dade College and later transferred to FIU.

As soon as he began college, Absalom discovered the Army ROTC program and decided to pursue a commission in the U.S. Army as a Second Lieutenant.

While in school Absalom suffered many setbacks, including financial difficulties and the deaths of two close family members. However, this did not deter him from achieving his goals.

Absalom is a natural born leader. At FIU, he was the Cadet Battalion Commander for the Army ROTC Program and supervised the planning of training for over 140 diverse cadets from FIU, MDC, Barry University and the University of Miami. He has also attended the U.S. Army’s Leadership Training Course and Assessment and Development Courses at Fort Knox in Kentucky, and was honored with the Outstanding Cadet Award.

Absalom, who speaks Swahili, Luo, German and English fluently, has been a stellar student. He was a member of the prestigious Phi Kappa Honor Society, has volunteered more than 100 hours and pursued a demanding computer science degree, all while maintaining a 3.7 grade point average and working as a math tutor, student assistant and at a restaurant.

After graduation, Absalom will continue to serve in the U.S. Army’s military intelligence branch as an active duty officer.