Home » Youtube - EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDING » African Burn Survivor Jespa Awomah Finds Hope, Education in California

× Share this Video

Facebook
Twitter
Email
LinkedIn

African Burn Survivor Jespa Awomah Finds Hope, Education in California

June 20, 2017

Share this Video
Facebook
Twitter
Email
LinkedIn

It only took one Facebook post to change the life of 17-year-old Cameroon native Jespa Awomah. Jespa was severely burned at 10 months old when he fell into an open cooking fire in his family’s home. He was not allowed to attend school due to his appearance, but a volunteer distributing educational materials in Cameroon was moved by his story and mobilized her community. Together with the Children’s Burn Foundation, Torrance Memorial Medical Center and a little help from social media, Plant A Seed volunteers brought Jespa to the United States to undergo extensive reconstructive surgery. Now a dedicated student at Arena High School in El Segundo, CA, Jespa is fluent in English, has learned to play the piano and ride a bicycle, and is on track to graduate high school. Brought to you by The Association of California School Administrators

Previous Video

Tough Girls Rule! California City Survives and Thrives No Matter the Obstacle

Nathalie Uribe was raised by her grandmother with love and support in the small town of California City. Wh...

Next Video

Inspiring Edison High Soccer Star Overcomes Brain Injury

When Nicky Macchiavello was 17, a motorcycle accident at a motocross track changed his life forever. The HS...

African Burn Survivor Jespa Awomah Finds Hope, Education in California

Previous Video

Next Video

Related Content

Thank you to everyone who made this day of honoring our incredible Every Student Succeeding winners possible! Check out their inspiring stories on our YouTube ESS playlist!

“It’s an honor to serve as the leader of a school that has students that look like me. And more importantly, students that have a similar background or experience. You have the empathy piece because

Jamie Geng is one of the most talented students to walk through the doors of Westview High in San Diego. She’s an AP student. She’s a musician. But she might be most proud of her time as president of

She is only eleven years old but Joey Drake is wise beyond her years. Born with cerebral palsy, Joey faced her fair share of challenges growing up. But she refused to let her condition dictate her dai

Beatriz Vasquez estimates she’s spent more time at the hospital than at her school. But through it all, Beatriz has always made time for her education. Beatriz was born with a ventricular septal defe

The fact that Luis Diaz is alive right now, let alone a high school graduate, is nothing short of miraculous. He was born in Mexico but moved to the United States when he was five years old. He suffer

“We all have a part. And basically, it’s cheerleading. It’s kicking them in the butt and saying ‘Come on. Let’s go.’ But we are family here. And with us being family, we surround.” - Goodwill Educati

In November of 2013, Carson found his bright future very much in doubt when he began experiencing muscle weakness on the soccer field. After a battery of tests and several misdiagnoses, doctors told C

Stella Linardi knows what some people may think of her. As an undocumented immigrant, she says she often finds herself trying to prove her worth. Born in Indonesia, Stella and her family immigrated t

It is such a simple gesture. “Every morning I go in and I say hello to my teachers. ‘How was your weekend?’” Rocklin High junior Francisco Marquez said. “‘How was your day so far? How was your mornin

Nothing can prepare you for the death of a parent, especially when it’s unexpected. No one knows that better than Mariana Thomas. On February 19, 2013, Mario Thomas died after suffering serious injuri

Federico Hernandez does not want your sympathy. He does not want your pity. He simply wants to be treated like everyone else. “He does not want to be associated with having a visual impairment,” Temp

When she transferred to Anderson New Technology High School, a school of 200, Jasmine Phillips had trouble finding the motivation to study and set goals, or the confidence to believe in herself. She n

Emily Tang liked her old life in China. Her parents described her as one of the top students in her class and a teacher’s dream. But on May 22, 2016, Emily, along with her mother and brother, moved f

When she first got here, she was, like a lot of our students… guarded and sheltered and a little lost and confused. And then… she just found herself. And she just kinda flipped the switch and ‘oh, I t

“In my 37 years, I haven’t had a student that has overcome the difficulties that Nick has, and gotten to this point in his life in such a positive state, and graduate.” -Teacher, Jack Maranto, Indian

“We’re just like a comprehensive high school, we just deliver it in a different way. We’re more case managers, more counselors than teachers.” -Teacher, Jessica Cisneros-Elliot At just 17, Michelle B

“From the first day I met him, he had that something special that not a lot of kids have. He is a worker. He just has this desire to learn and to improve. And he’s got the immigrant hunger. Where I th

“I never thought I’d be able to do it. I honestly that I would never be able to do an AP class.”- Mickaela Valenti, ACSA Region 11, Stockdale High School “During my childhood, I had a hard time readi

“You don’t typically find kids like that who want to volunteer anymore and make the community a better place just because. And that’s what he’s all about. He wants to make Kerman a better place to liv