A Multifaith Scholar, Sandoh Ahmadu ’25 found a community at Elon that encouraged him to explore and practice different forms of spirituality and faith.
When Sandoh Ahmadu ’25 discovered meditation as a teen, he didn’t know the practice was going to lead him on a journey of fulfillment and purpose.
Sandoh was born and raised in Washington, D.C., with his Sierra Leonean father and German mother. Being fluent in multiple languages and traveling the world to visit his grandparents in Germany or his father while he worked in Africa afforded him certain privilege, but he still faced trials. “Being biracial makes it hard sometimes,” he says. “You’re too white for this group or too Black for this group.”
Not having his dad at home growing up was hard, too. Meditation became a staple for Sandoh during high school as he battled with mental health, grappling with depression and expressing aggression. He felt angry and blamed himself for things out of his control. “I tried different types of treatment and I stumbled upon meditation,” he says, adding he started reading about Buddhist meditation practices more intentionally. “Pairing mediation with therapy worked wonders for me.”
When he arrived at Elon, Sandoh decided to major in psychology and minor in neuroscience and interreligious studies. Looking for a community to belong to, he moved into the first-year African Diaspora program, which he describes as “the best community I could’ve lived in.” But he was looking for something more. “There’s the other, more spiritual side of me that I knew needed to be fulfilled,” he adds.
This led Sandoh to the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, where he found a community that encouraged him to explore and practice different forms of spirituality and faith. He joined Iron Tree Blooming, a campus mediation group, and regularly attends its weekly meetings. He even served as the club’s president for a year.
He also worked as a multifaith intern at the center his sophomore year, which allowed him to meaningfully engage the Elon community with the diversity of religious, spiritual and ethical identities on campus while deepening his own understanding. This past spring, he was selected as a Multifaith Scholar. As part of that work, he is researching the complementary resources of Western- and Eastern-cultural practices of emotional self-regulation.
Sandoh’s journey models Elon’s ongoing work to experience well-being and the shared responsibility to cultivate it for others. Ultimately, he wants to be a therapist, incorporating meditation as a way to reduce negative emotional expressions into the many facets of psychotherapy and psychiatry. “I’ve always been interested in including meditation and practices deriving from Buddhism, to treat anger, sadness and hatred,” he says. “The best way to combat anger and hate is compassion.”
Sandoh is part of Huemanity of People, a series by the Division of Inclusive Excellence that celebrates the diversity of Elon’s community. Nominate a member of the Elon community for this series.