Scholar Stories and Letters
Abraham K | Central High School
Abraham K is an 11th grade Scholar who earns straight A's in all his classes. As a result, he was chosen as one of the 100 Scholars to receive a laptop computer thanks to the generosity of the Gray Charitable Trust.
While earning straight A's is an accomplishment in itself, what makes it more remarkable is that Abraham only arrived in the United States last year. He and his older brother Peter lived the previous eight years in refugee camps in Kenya after fleeing the civil war raging in their homeland of southern Sudan. "People were running, just trying to get away," he said, describing the day he became a refugee. In the confusion, the brothers were separated from their parents and have not seen them since. Abraham does not know how long they wandered before a United Nations worker found them and took them to a refugee camp.
It was in the camp that he learned the importance of education. "There were adult leaders, refugees from the same community, who lived in our camp. They kept telling us the benefits of education." Abraham was taught by Sudanese and Kenyan teachers in the camps, where he learned English along with his native Swahili.
Abraham welcomed the opportunity to immigrate to the United States with his brother last year. They live in a house provided by Lutheran Services with two other Sudanese brothers. "It was not scary coming here," he said. "It would be scary to leave here." While he thinks about returning to Sudan someday, he will stay in the United States at least "until the war in Sudan is over."
Abraham is very appreciative of the financial support he receives from White-Williams Scholars. "It makes a big difference," he said, "because the allowance I receive from Lutheran Services isn't enough for everything I need." He uses his stipend to buy lunch and the tokens he needs for the two buses he takes to get to Central High School each day. While Abraham's current focus is on improving his English, he enjoys studying math and sciences, especially chemistry. He is considering becoming a doctor. While his career plans are uncertain, he definitely plans to go to college. His brother Peter, who is studying computer science at LaSalle University, inspires him.
When asked what he would like to say to the people who support White-Williams Scholars, he responded, "I have to thank them because it's something very good. God bless them and let them continue helping."
