Ask Elias Wallace his favorite food and it might surprise you, unless you’ve tasted kitfo, an Ethiopian dish of ground raw beef infused with spices. The senior attends an Ethiopian Orthodox Church, runs the Africa United club at SPU, and listens to traditional Ethiopian music. “I’m very proud of where I come from,” says Elias.

It’s hard not to know Elias’ roots, unless you catch him watching a soccer game and cheering for his favorite team, Barcelona. “I cheer for Ethipia, too,” he says. “But they’re not as good.”