Sometimes my friends at my public high school in Southern California joke about missing school to avoid an exam or other unpleasant task. Yet jokes aside, very rarely do we consider being forced to stay at home due to financial issues or extreme tragedy in our personal lives.

After I read the story of Victor Ouma from Kibera in Kenya, I realized how foolish our jokes were about missing school. As much as some students dread waking up to study US History, I recognized how fortunate I was to be accountable to almost nothing besides exploring my intellectual interests.

After the deaths of both his parents and eldest brother, Victor had to take an leave of absence from school in order to support his other siblings as they struggled to feed themselves. Finding the equilibrium between helping his family and advancing his education has been difficult, but Vincent has been able to get by with the help of some scholarships and his own desire to do well. Victor even worked over the holidays to raise enough money for his tuition the following semester. However, Victor's motivation to keep learning and pursuing his ambitions is undying regardless of the status of his tuition funds. Victor is just a normal 16-year-old who loves football, but he is extraordinary and an inspiration to me with his resilience to continue his education in the face of adversity.

With this drive to succeed, Victor writes how he wants to become a lawyer someday, as he articulates in a letter update to his Givology supporters.



To read more about Victor, visit his Givology profile!