Professor, author, rapper, poet and motivational speaker Omekongo Dibinga sits in his shared office on the third floor of the East Quad Building. Students who have taken his class have described him as different from any other professor at American University.

WASHINGTON—Omekongo Dibinga begins the first cross-cultural communications course of every semester by reading his own slam poetry. Former students of his class said that they immediately knew then that Dibinga would be a different professor from any other at American University.

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Dibinga’s crisp and captivating voice can be heard bouncing out of his office and a few doors down in the East Quad Building. Dibinga and a student were sitting in Dibinga’s office discussing rappers and politics.

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“I’ve never had that student in any of my classes,” Dibinga said. “But I prefer working with younger people … since they will save us. It’s why I teach.”

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Dibinga grew up in a Boston neighborhood that he said was impoverished with drugs and gangs. He said there weren’t enough people fighting to make a change, but his parents taught him to be an activist. As he grew up, he wanted to create environments where “no one felt like they were violated or alone.”

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Now, Dibinga channels his talents as a poet, musician, motivational speaker, lecturer and yoga instructor.

Throughout his career, Dibinga has self-published seven books and seven CDs. His Twitter page has over 13,000 followers.

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Dibinga’s work has been inspired by Maya Angelou, who “was writing about Africa being beautiful at a time when people were telling me that Africa was ugly,” he said. In fact, Dibinga’s rap name is “Young Maya,” a representation of her influence upon him.

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Dibinga is the director of UPstander International, an organization that “helps people be upstanders, not bystanders,” he said. The organization was originally his publishing company.

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Now, it allows Dibinga to partner with organizations such as CNN, NASA and the United States Department of State to combat international challenges like diversity and consumerism through international motivational and instructional speeches at schools and companies.

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For example, in 2016, Dibinga spoke about rebounding and “reinventing” after a personal or professional setback on ABC network’s show, Let’s Talk Live.

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Whether it’s a poem, a rap or a speech, Dibinga said there is always “synchronicity” in the messages he shares. Some people just need to receive certain messages in different ways.

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“He knows how to meet people where they are,” said Alex Cromwell, an American University instructor.

Cromwell and Dibinga both began working at American in the fall of 2015. They have shared the same office and have taught the same course.

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Throughout his time working alongside Dibinga, Cromwell said that Dibinga has shared with him various words of wisdom.

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“Something he said that really stuck with me was this framing of approaching every day being grateful for it,” Cromwell said. “[Dibinga] says instead of, ‘Oh, do I have to work today?’ Think instead, ‘Oh, I get to work today.’ ”

Dibinga said he is appreciative of the opportunity to communicate with others through his work. Students and adults have expressed to him the impact he has had upon them, Dibinga said.

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In a 2014 TEDx Talk titled, “The Accidental Ambassador,” Dibinga performed a slam poem that included the line, “Life is just testing you out to see if you’ll take your life. … But if you take a step back, think twice, get some goals, if you focus on your dreams and not your nightmares, yo, you’ll see your life get better.”

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“Some people have prevented themselves from committing suicide after hearing me speak,” Dibinga said with a softer, less bold and annunciated tone. “As someone who was suicidal myself, hearing those types of things it … makes you realize that you are connecting directly with someone in the audience.”

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American University’s biography of Dibinga said that his work has reached 20 countries. Dibinga has been able to speak about human trafficking to the United Nations, an experience he recalled with a chuckle as “interesting” because it showed him that he never knows where his path will lead him.

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Besides his international impact, Dibinga has had a local influence on American University students.

“He taught us that it was okay to disagree, but we had to respect other opinions,” said Hanna Anderson, one of Dibinga’s former students.

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Dibinga said he tells students on the first day of class that he doesn’t care what they think, but rather how they think and how they’re informed. He said he uses his classroom to “challenge” students in a society that “doesn’t embrace critical thinking.”

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In a world with so many injustices, Dibinga said people can’t be complacent. Rather, he said he creates activists within his classrooms.

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“He wanted us to understand that you shouldn’t be able to give up,” said Hariella Lawson, a student from Dibinga’s cross-cultural communications class. “He really taught us that we have the ability to make change.”

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However, Dibinga’s work isn’t always so profound. Just like any job, Dibinga said he has had to make sacrifices. He has to pay bills and tuitions to support his wife and three children. He said he chooses the paths that have the least negative impact on his family, but the most positive impact on his career.

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Cromwell said, however, that Dibinga is able to balance his professional life and his personal life. Dibinga can be “genuinely himself” whether he is teaching or not, Cromwell said.

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If he had to pick one thing to do for the rest of his life, Dibinga said it would be speaking to people. “It’s generic,” he said as he shrugged, “but it encompasses everything that I do. … I just want to be one of those positive voices, helping people change their lives.”