Daud Eftin lived in a refugee camp in Kenya for more than 10 year, but today he is one of the newest Utah Highway Patrol troopers.

When Eftin was just a boy, his family was pushed off their land and out of their country, Somalia, and they sought refuge in Kenya. After 12 years they were eventually allowed to migrate to the United States.

"We're on a plane knowing we're going to someplace called America, not knowing where we're going yet." "Then finally we land in a place called Utah, Salt Lake,  to be a place we call home away from home," he told ABC4.

Eftin's career plans were forged through his friendship with a school resource officer who helped at his Salt Lake City high school.

After graduation Eftin worked hard to achieve his dream of U.S. citizenship and a career with the Utah HP.

"I ended up getting my first job in Arizona as a detention deputy." He then went from a county job to a state job. "Worked for the State of Arizona as a correctional officer for a little bit." 

He became a U.S. Citizen in 2009. He earned a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree in criminal justice. And while he says it took time to get hired, he refused to take no for an answer.

Eventually, the 33-year-old landed that dream job with the Utah Highway Patrol. And the kid from the Kenya refugee camp became the public servant in Salt Lake.

"My job is to make sure travelers make it from point A to point B. Home safely. Wherever they're going they just want to get there safely. If that means stopping to tell you to slow down or just reminding you to use your turn signals. Whatever I can do to make sure you get to your family safe at the end of the day that is what I what I call great. That is what I am looking for that is the satisfaction for me," he says.