In a video that has now amassed over 5,000 views on Instagram, Short King Warsame poses in front of an elevator in a bright, patterned yellow polo shirt and black slacks. One hand in his pocket, he smiles bashfully for the camera, flashing a cheeky thumbs up. The caption reads, “3’9” with 6’ confidence” — which, in just a few words, sums up Warsame’s ethos.

Many members of the McGill community know Short King Warsame from their Instagram Reels feeds. With thousands of views on each reel and just over 2,000 followers at the time of writing (though he’s aiming for 10,000 by the end of 2026), Warsame is well-known both on and off campus as a beacon of positivity on social media. His most popular posts feature light- hearted content, mostly football commentary and videos of him at house parties and social events like OAP. In each post, he wears his signature toothy smile; except, of course, in the videos where he’s lamenting his woes as a fan of Manchester United.

However, there is much more to Short King Warsame than having confidence and partying. For one, Warsame is a strong advocate for the empowerment of individuals with dwarfism. For another, he raises awareness in videos about social anxiety and the measures one can take to combat it. Warsame, for all the confidence he displays online, is no stranger to either of these issues — to him, they are largely intertwined.

On one of the last balmy fall weekends before the winter freeze is due to set in, the Daily sat down with Warsame over Zoom to hear about the trajectory that brought him to McGill; as well as the impact of social environment on one’s self- confidence (he described this as having been pivotal in encouraging him to “participate, lead, create, speak publicly and advocate”). By sharing his story, Warsame said, he wishes to demonstrate to students of all demographics that they too can accomplish their dreams as long as they believe in themselves.

Life in Kenya

Warsame Abdikadir Ahmed was born in January 1998 in Dadaab Camp, a UNHCR refugee camp complex in Kenya. Established in 1991 to shelter Somalian refugees fleeing civil war in their home country, Warsame describes the camp as very “community-oriented,” although living there was “difficult”: families lived in tents together, and water and electricity shortages were not uncommon. However, these factors never affected his attitude — throughout his childhood, he dreamed of becoming a doctor.

These dreams, however, were often inhibited by the way in which he was perceived by his community. Because of his visible dwarfism, he was often subjected to bullying and hate from others. In a written memoir that he shared with the Daily, Warsame recounts how he had initially been barred from starting kindergarten at the same time as a friend of the same age. The principal had deemed him “too young” at a glance, without even bothering to ask him his age. “For the first time in my life,” he writes, “I began to understand that society often evaluates people by what it sees rather than by what they are capable of becoming.”

His family, well aware of the way people could treat him for his differences, barred him from going out and from attending school in his early years with other children around his age. “At that particular time, the community was still not exposed to as many [kinds of] people. [The fact that my] physical disability is visible made it difficult for [me] to go out,” he recalls. “My family would not let me go out in fear that I would be bullied or even beaten up by the other kids.” Despite their protective intentions, Warsame states that he “personally didn’t want to spend [his] life confined at home because of how others might treat [him … and] often wondered how long [he] could continue living that way.”

Eventually, intervention from a teacher managed to convince Warsame’s family to let him attend school. Warsame was overjoyed, describing the excitement and elation of putting on his first uniform. He was put in a class with other students with special needs and disabilities. Despite finally being able to find community, he and his classmates had to endure other students who would apparently walk by the classroom to laugh and shout insults at them. Warsame held his head high, but began to question his own self-worth amidst the immense bullying that he faced.

It soon became evident that Warsame was an academically excellent student, as he began to rank among the top students in his cohort — but this did little to stop the bullying. “Kids of all backgrounds were attending … so the environment was not welcoming and conducive for someone who was unique, because they would be the centre of attention. [I] worried more about people than academics,” he says. When he later joined a class of able- bodied students, the scrutiny, gossip and bullying only worsened, causing Warsame’s once-excellent grades to plummet and self-doubt to begin precipitating in his mind. “My performance was not that good because of the constant bullying. I [didn’t] even feel safe going out, [as] I had to be worried about other people,” he recounts, shaking his head.

Thankfully, one of his teachers had taken notice of Warsame’s struggles, and recommended that he be transferred to Joyland Special Primary School — a primary school for individuals with physical disabilities in Kisumu, a city in Kenya over 600 kilometres from Dadaab. Despite initial doubts regarding the distance from home and an unfamiliar city, Warsame was encouraged by his family to make the leap and enroll at boarding school there — a decision that would change his life.

“Joyland … was for the physically handicapped. So, like, you find your own people … People who share the same condition in one way or another,” Warsame explains, “so no one [could] remind [me] of my dwarfism or disability, [lifting] that load from my shoulders. Because I was in a different environment, I could focus on myself. I could focus on my academics.” He grins in fond recollection. “Fortunately, I found myself again when I went to Kisumu. I forgot that I was someone living with dwarfism at some point. The environment did not remind me constantly that I was different.” In turn, Warsame’s grades improved dramatically, and by the end of the year, he had become one of the school’s top- performing students. Financial constraints loomed as he went to secondary school, but thanks to more teachers who believed in and advocated for him, he was able to secure admission to Kisumu Boys’ High School — one of the most competitive high schools in Kenya. Despite fears that he would be overwhelmed, Warsame embraced the new challenge. One particular teacher’s advice stayed on his mind: “If you want respect, defeat them academically.” And so he did, seeking mentorship from top-performing students and consistently ranking high in grades among his peers.

In his memoir, Warsame writes, “I still remember an important lesson from that experience: [p]eople do not fail because they lack ability. Many fail because they are denied environments in which their abilities can flourish. … What began as a quest for acceptance had evolved into something much larger. I was no longer proving my worth to others. I was discovering it for myself.”

Eventually, his academic excellence led him to apply for the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) Student Refugee Program (SRP). Given the singular nature of the WUSC scholarship, Warsame says it was well-known amongst his peers and in Dadaab Camp. “I think it’s been [around] for two decades now? It’s still operating, so everyone knows about it. It’s one of the factors that motivates students.”

Warsame recalls being inexplicably optimistic about his application. There were only 23 people eligible for the scholarship in Dadaab during his application cycle, and only two of them had competitive grades — one of them being Warsame. Canada, though Warsame knew little about it until after eventually being selected for the WUSC SRP, was like a beacon of hope. “I knew it [w]as one of the developed countries, where [one has] so many opportunities. That’s what they used to tell us, [that] you [could] choose what you want to be.”

Before departing for Canada, Warsame served a brief stint as a Biology and Chemistry teacher in Dadaab Camp, which he described in his memoir as a “deeply meaningful” experience. “I taught in the very society that had once questioned my value … The same community that had once misunderstood disability was beginning to see possibility instead. Education had changed not only my life. It was changing theirs as well.”

Arriving in Canada

On 26 August 2022, Warsame arrived on Canadian soil to start his first year at McGill as a pharmacology student. Life here, including the way Warsame found himself being perceived and treated, was very different.

“The good thing with [Canada] is [that] everyone minds their own business. I’ve never come across anyone who said anything bad to me because of my dwarfism or how I look,” Warsame mused in our interview. “Sometimes, [I] can see people staring at [me] weirdly, but I don’t want to interpret it negatively … If anything, the people that I [have] interacted with [have been] positive, and they say, like, I’m a great guy, funny guy, things like that.” When it comes to group projects, for instance, he can pick whichever of his fellow students he wants to work with without fear of suffering social rejection because of his dwarfism.

According to Warsame, Canadian culture has taught him a lot about independence. “The individualistic culture in Canada is a bit different from the collectivist culture in Dadaab … [here,] you have to figure things out on your own. Nobody tells you something if you don’t ask, so I [learned how to] depend on myself. I learned how to cook; if I need appointments, I can book [them] on my own … That independence and [attitude of] going for what you want changed my life.”

‘Short King Warsame’

It was this independence and desire to reinforce his worth that led Warsame to begin participating in online advocacy. Despite having been on social media for a long time, Warsame only got serious about and consistent with posting content this past year. The alias ‘Short King Warsame’ was born from his quest for a unique brand that framed his short stature in a positive light.

“I used to fear people,” Warsame said, “because of the environment. If I even saw someone looking at me, I would automatically think that they [were] looking at me because I’m a little person [even if they were not]. But I asked myself, ‘How long do you want to live with these kinds of beliefs?’ … I wanted to expose myself to people. Some people will be extremely mean, others will be really nice. I wanted to challenge that — that’s why I joined social media.

“When I did my first video, I just [showed] half [of my body] because no one could guess that I was a little person like that. Then, I was like, let me just do full-body and see people’s reactions … There were so many comments. I remember that video got a thousand comments — some of them extremely mean, and some of them extremely good. Then I just kept on posting videos, and I got used to people being mean … My goal was like, ‘If they say something bad today, and something bad tomorrow, how long can they say something mean?’ After posting for five or six months, most of the people who used to be mean got used to me; some of them even became my fans! … [Posting on social media] boosted my self-esteem, and it doesn’t bother me when someone looks at me now. In fact, if someone looks at me, like, I’m gonna smile at them.”

Warsame’s audience ranges from members of Somali communities to McGill students. He has even been featured on BBC Somalia. When asked if he ever expected to gain as much attention as he has, Warsame shakes his head. “I [thought] I was gonna be [like] any other [person on social media. But I think after the first or second week, people were like, ‘Hey, I know your Instagram. Can I take a picture with you?’” He chuckles. “I felt good because I got positive attention from most of these students. [Now,] people who never used to talk to me come up to say hi, maybe because they know I have a good personality. It’s a good feeling.”

At first, Warsame would post simply for exposure. Now, in addition to his light- hearted content, Warsame has taken on a mission to advocate for individuals with dwarfism and people who suffer from social anxiety.

“There are people who are living with disabilities that are still dealing with the things that I once dealt with. So I want them to see me as an inspiration, like, ‘If Short King can do it, I can do it too.’ I don’t want them to focus on their disability only. I want them to see it as just part of them and not their whole identity.” He recounts fondly how a mother with a 12-year- old child living with dwarfism had sent him a DM, telling him how watching his videos had helped her child to develop a positive self-image and not to see his dwarfism as an obstacle.

In addition to his social media presence, Warsame also works closely with WUSC McGill as their VP Peer Support and SRP alumnus, helping to connect the club with scholars who had previously enrolled at McGill through the program. Moreover, Warsame has launched his own NGO, Rise Beyond Height, which aims to empower persons with dwarfism in Somalia and Kenya through advocacy, education, and inclusion. At the time of writing, he is working to launch his first awareness campaign. “A lot of people are not aware of the insulting nature of a lot of words they [commonly use] — words like ‘dwarf’ and ‘midget.’ People still use those in their everyday vocabulary.” He hopes to create awareness about people living with dwarfism, and spread the message that no one should be underestimated just because of their physical differences. Once he graduates from McGill in Fall 2027, he plans to take a year off to focus on getting Rise Beyond Height to stand on its own feet, then pursue a master’s degree in psychopharmacology (though where exactly is still unclear.)

Looking Forward

“Home, for me, is where I feel accepted.” Having just received his Canadian citizenship, Warsame is planning to stay in Canada post-graduation. “[Home] can be anywhere … can be multiple things. It’s just that home is a feeling of acceptance and being embraced for who you are.”

Warsame believes that our self-perceptions factor massively into the realities we deem possible. “If today, I had the belief in me that I am incapable — for example: [because] I am a short person, I should always be dependent — I would really be that person … If I believe that I cannot do anything on my own, I will act in a way that suggests that I cannot actually do something … The brain acts according to the beliefs that you have. Psychology plays a great role in what someone can do.” His pursuit of psychopharmacology, the scientific study of how medical substances can affect one’s nervous system and the processes associated with it, is only natural as an extension of his interest in investigating these beliefs.

“You don’t want to just sit back and hopefully do good. Hopefully I will feel good. Hopefully, you know, things will turn out. But things don’t just turn out on their own spontaneously.” When asked about hope and belief, and how those can translate to change, Warsame says: “You have to [act.] I am someone who believes in being hopeful, and at the same time, [thinks about] the steps I’m taking towards getting things done, you know?”

Warsame’s childhood dream of becoming a doctor has since evolved, though he affirms that he still loves the sciences. Now, to encourage people to believe in themselves and act on such with confidence, he plans on continuing down the path of content creation and advocacy in addition to his studies. “I want to be someone who impacts lives now, who touches as many people as possible, whether [they] have a critical disability or not.”

I would like to end this article with a quote from Warsame’s memoir: “My story is not exceptional because I overcame challenges. Millions of people do that every day. My story matters because it demonstrates what becomes possible when society chooses opportunity over prejudice, inclusion over exclusion, and belief over doubt. If there is one message I hope readers carry with them, it is this: [n]ever underestimate a child because of how they look. Never assume limitations where potential exists. And never forget that disability is not inability. Sometimes, the greatest strength is found precisely where the world least expects to find it.”