Seun Finds Joy
“I was born and raised in Northern Nigeria. My parents were raising my siblings and I in a Christian household, in a predominantly Muslim region. When I was younger, life felt normal and I didn’t question much. It wasn’t until I got older that I began to understand something deeper: they weren’t just raising us…they were protecting us.
“Then one night, everything changed.
“People came to our house and burned it to the ground. My siblings and my mother were inside. I lost three of my siblings that night and my mom barely survived.
“That was the beginning of the nightmare.
“After that, I lived differently. I started thinking, ‘I don’t want to die.’ So I stayed quiet. I kept my head down. I learned how to disappear in plain sight. But inside, something else was growing – resentment, anger, pain.
“Eventually, it got to a point where I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I thought about lashing out. Instead, I chose a different path.
“I became an activist.
“That’s where I discovered something in myself – a need to stand up for others, to speak against injustice. But I didn’t realize I was also putting a target on my back.
“Things escalated. And this all culminated one night when people broke into my house, my infant daughter was nearly drowned because of my beliefs.
“There is nothing more painful than knowing you cannot protect your own child. That feeling – shame, helplessness – I never want to experience that again.
“So we left. My wife, daughter, and I came to the United States in June 2014. Once there, we reunited with my mother after 12 years separated.
“Coming to the United States wasn’t just a move – it was survival. It was the beginning of a new life. When I arrived, I had nothing. My mentor gave me a flyer that said Cara. I was told, ‘Go there. They can help.’
“When I first walked into Cara, I carried everything with me – all the trauma, all the anger, all the masks I had built just to survive. I remember sitting there thinking, ‘Why am I here?’
“But one day, everything broke open.
“During one of the sessions, something inside me finally gave way. All that baggage I had carried from Nigeria – the pain, the fear, the pretending – it came pouring out. I broke down right there in that room.
“And strangely…that was the beginning of my joy.
“For so long, I had been pretending – even to my own family – that I had everything under control. In that moment, I let it all go. The anger. The rage. The silence.
“I decided I wasn’t going to carry that anymore.
“From there, I started to rebuild.
“Cara taught me principles that changed my life: to look with new eyes and to know my true self. Those ideas became a blueprint for me. They transformed how I saw myself and what I believed was possible.
“When I got my first opportunity at the Four Seasons, it wasn’t glamorous. I started as a lobby attendant. But I remembered what I had learned: get your foot in the door, then keep moving.
“So I did.
“I worked, I learned, I kept showing up. I moved into a part-time security role. Then I was named Employee of the Month, and later, Employee of the Year. That almost never happens, especially that quickly.
“If you had told me 11 years earlier that this would be my life, I would have said it was impossible. But here I am.
“Today, my family is safe. We are all citizens of this country. My daughter is thriving – confident and stepping into high school. My son is chasing his dream of becoming a professional basketball player. And my mom…my mom smiles again, surrounded by her grandchildren.
“That means everything to me.
“When I walked into Cara, I carried hatred as a defense. Today, I walk with love.
“Back then, I had no confidence. Now, I can walk into any room with my head held high, knowing I belong and that I have a community supporting me.
“Cara gave me my second chance. And if you follow the path, if you truly do the work – it can guide you to a life you never thought possible.”
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