Momodou Dampha '15 Recruiting Profile

     When I was in Africa, I was living with my grandparents. I was a stubborn boy who never wanted to go to school or had any goals.  No one in my family had finished college or even high school. My extended family, with whom I was living, did not care if I attended school. They did not motivate me in any way to educate myself.

In 2012, I came to America and everything changed. I got off at the Morocco Airline and at the terminal I saw the train on top moving at high speed. I knew immediately this was paradise; this would soon be the place I had seen in American films. This would be the place where I could finally become a better person for myself.  However, it was far more difficult than that. My first day at school was overwhelmingly challenging due to drastic changes and new surroundings. To give you an idea of my world, I actually thought the lunch room was a classroom; I was shy and could not initiate a conversation with the student around me. The school building was too immense for me to even find my classes. I was continuously late the first week, as I was still struggling day after day to find the correct room. I was afraid of making friends in fear that they would ridicule me based on my accent. One day, as I was in the lunch room for breakfast, a boy sat by me and said, “Hey, brother. How are you? My name is Emmanuel,” and I replied, with a little hesitation and nervousness, “I am fine. My name is Momodou.” He was the first friend I had made in America, and to this day we are still friends.  

       By the time the first semester finished, I made a lot of friends and began immersing myself in a new world of opportunities. My transformation can be depicted as a fragile, naïve boy in a new world to a member of a great community. I took part in every part of my school, including my favorite pastime, soccer. Soccer was not only a passion, but a drive for me to become a better version of myself.   Joining the soccer team was a huge boost to my confidence. Soccer made me more confident because the more I practiced the better I became. I not only became more confident on the field, but it also made me more confident in class. I was starting to feel comfortable with my new environment, and proud to be part of a great school. As I continue my educational journey, I only hope to be fortunate enough to find a college that can become my second home.

    Life, they say, is a great struggle indeed. In order to make it in life you go through a lot of ups and down, but you have to be able to persevere; you have do your best to be able to achieve your dreams and aspirations. Every individual has strengths and weaknesses in life, and to be successful you have to know what they are so that you can improve your weaknesses while enhancing your strengths.