Cool Kid Ali Seerwan empowers others through his positivity

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Our ABC7 Cool Kid for Thursday, Dec. 4, is Ali Seerwan, who doesn't let his own challenges keep him from helping other children conquer theirs. Seerwan puts a positive spin on almost any situation.

"I try to actually think about the negatives and try to think about the positive things I can do," said Seerwan.

The negatives he's referring to involve a very long journey that brought him and his mother to the Union Rescue Mission. The positives he's referring to are about his experiences volunteering there, especially when he gets a chance to work with the children and be a mentor.

"We're going to be turning 18 soon. We got to get out there. We're trying to be leaders to these kids. We have to show them that we can do it as well," said Seerwan. "If we don't show them, how are they going to learn from it?"

The example he sets is appreciated by both kids and adults.

"When I was 17, I wish I was like Ali," said Matthew Bennet, a youth coordinator at Union Rescue Mission. "I'd be a lot better off, and I'm not just saying that. This is a wonderful, good kid. He does a lot for the kids, they look up to him."

Seerwan has definitely faced challenges in life. He and his family escaped oppression in Iraq, sometimes walking for weeks on end. Finally after arriving in the United States, he and his mother ended up moving from city to city. Now, they find themselves homeless in Los Angeles, but he's never let adversity be an obstacle to setting and reaching his goals.

"If you give up, you're basically giving up on life," said Seerwan. "If I don't give up, I can always see myself in a higher road, try to make a future for myself."

Seerwan is not only making his life a positive one, but he's serving as an inspiration to others to help them make a better life for themselves.