Refugee teen now college scholarship recipient

CNS photo/Paul Jeffrey

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Sister Josephine Murigi, a member of Our Lady of the Missions and Solidarity with South Sudan, walks with children in a camp for more than 5,000 displaced people in Riimenze. Families here were displaced in late 2016 and early 2017 as fighting between government soldiers and rebels escalated.

SALT LAKE CITY — For decades Sudan has been rife with political turmoil and unrest. Violence has continued to permeate the region even after the successful secession of South Sudan. Ongoing conflicts between the two factions have led to increased civilian casualties and always there is the threat of child conscription into the military. For these reasons 10-year-old Tuku was forced to flee his homeland of Sudan for Kenya, leaving behind his parents and 15 siblings.

After five years of caring for himself in refugee camps, Tuku was selected to come to Utah through the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor program. Three years later, Tuku has overcome incredible challenges and was able to graduate high school with his class. He has begun higher education and was the recipient of the BYU Management Society Scholarship, the Olene Walker Scholarship, and the Courageous Award from West Jordan High School.

In his winning essay Tuku stated, “I feel like some students [here] don’t take school quite as seriously as the students in Africa. I think that my perspective is a little bit different because I know what life can be like without an education. And I want a life that is different than the one I grew up having.”

Editor’s note: As part of Pope Francis’ Migration Campaign, this is one in a series of profiles of refugees and migrants who are helped through Catholic Community Services of Utah.

Courtesy of Catholic Community Services of Utah