Growing up in Ethiopia, Daniel Mekuria always knew he'd end up in America.
Mekuria, a top student who played soccer during his childhood in the capital city of Addis Ababa, believed he could reach his potential in the distant country where some of his relatives had established themselves decades before.
One of his uncles is a U.S. State Department official. Another uncle was sent to the U.S. sometime in the 1950s or 1960s by Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie for strong academic performance.
"I had a lot to offer to the world," said Mekuria, who's now managing partner of James Collins Ford in Louisville, Ky. "This is the country where I feel like I can come in and live my dreams."