For over eight years, Ethiopian refugee Mawi Asgedom wore Donald Trump glasses without realizing it. In his TEDx talk, How Immigrants Make America Great, Asgedom explains this shocking discovery, and makes a bold, powerful case for the contributions immigrants make to the U.S.

Mawi Asgedom, President of Mawi Learning and Ethiopian immigrant, speaking at the Grant Park TEDx event.

In the beginning of his talk, Asgedom confessed to wearing Trump brand glasses, which he unknowingly wore for several years. Yes, even a man who started his life in the U.S. as an Ethiopian refugee can have something in common with Donald Trump. Asgedom argued that his connection to the Republican presidential nominee shows that all of us, as Americans, have more in common than we have separating us.

In his talk, Asgedom declaired “Immigrants make America better today!” by imparting rich values, fighting for this country, and contributing to the economy through entrepreneurship. An immigrant entrepreneur himself, Asgedom and his family fled the civil war in East Africa when he was a child to start a new life in Wheaton, IL. He achieved the American dream by learning English, earning a scholarship to Harvard, and building his own company. Asgedom is the Founder and President of Mawi Learning, a digital education company that offers leadership and English language learning courses for adults and students.

“Being invisible in an American public school did more damage to me than three years in a refugee camp.”

As a businessman, Asgedom drew from his own story to create his company. At a recent conference, he said, “Being invisible in an American public school did more damage to me than three years in a refugee camp.” Due to this experience, Asgedom strives to give struggling students and educators a voice in the classroom through his work. He also urged educators at the conference to “see” everyone in class, especially students who are different and may be overlooked.

During the TEDx talk, Asgedom challenged listeners to reject the negative stereotypes surrounding immigrants and to instead reflect on the ways they improve this country. He invoked business moguls like Sergey Brin of Google, a Russian immigrant, and informed the audience that immigrants employ 4 million Americans in the U.S. annually. As the talk concluded, Asgedom celebrated common themes from the immigrant experience like generosity and entrepreneurship, which enrich the canon of American values.

Recent events like Brexit and the U.S. presidential race point to the xenophobia prevalent in today’s political climate, where immigrants are often discussed as problematic political issues, not as valuable individuals. Asgedom aspires to help create a society that sees the value of immigrants and views them from a place of love and respect, regardless of political affiliations.

By opening a dialogue about immigration in your own life, you may discover that you are helping a child, friend, co-worker, or even a stranger, feel more confident and welcome despite the hardships of the immigrant experience.

Disclosure: Jean Osberger is an employee of Mawi Asgedom’s education company, Mawi Learning.