It won’t be long before we have some A2S graduates on our hands. In May, Jafar, our very first U.S. A2S Scholar will be leaving school and basketball behind to graduate from Concord University. Jennifer will be graduating from Concord First Assembly and making her way to Lynchburg University, and Wisdom will be graduating from Covenant Day School and heading to the UNC-Chapel Hill to studying engineering and play football. We thought we’d ask our graduates a few questions, before their big day.

How long have you been in School in the states?
JAFAR: It will be six years in September. I spent two years in High School and four years in college.
JENNIFER: It will be four years in October.
WISDOM: Three years, cumulative.

What are you planning to do after you graduate?
JAFAR: My plan after graduation is to get a job and start pursuing a career of my interest which is yet to be decided.
JENNIFER: After graduation, I plan to go to Lynchburg University.
WISDOM: I want to live out God’s plan for my life in whatever area He leads me, either in my academic career or my athletic career.

Where do you hope to be in 5 years?
JAFAR: Tough question! By God’s grace, I hope to be settled in a career and be married to the love of my life.
JENNIFER: In five years, I hope to be finishing up my college years.
WISDOM: I hope to be actualizing God’s plan in my life.

What has been the best thing about being in the U.S.?
JAFAR: The best thing has been the ability to use my culture to influence the people around me in a positive way and to leave a teachable legacy in the schools that I have attended.
JENNIFER: The best part has been the opportunity to live out my dreams.
WISDOM: I have been so blessed to be able to learn of two different cultures, Nigerian and American, at a very young age, which will shape me for the rest of the life ahead of me. It will help me to become the man that God has made me to be.

What has been the most difficult thing about being in the U.S.?
JAFAR: I have not found myself in any difficult situation in the U.S. One principle I esteem is, “whatever I cannot control in life, I do not dwell on it.”
JENNIFER: The most difficult thing about being in the U.S. is adjusting to a different school system, but it improves with each passing day.
WISDOM: Life is not a bed of roses, so I don’ think there was any difficulty for me in my high school career, because with everything that has happened, I have been able to come out on the other side, by God’s grace, and learn from it. I would say there were impediments on the way, but by God’s grace, they have been surpassed.

How has A2S equipped you to succeed?
JAFAR: A2S has equipped me with family, friendship, love, and opportunities to succeed at every level. Knowing that I have been equipped with all these resources, I have no worries but to meet my margin for success.
JENNIFER: A2S has put me in a position to succeed and surrounded me with people who I can learn from by their every day experiences and how they live their lives.
WISDOM: A2S has given me the necessary equipment and tools materialistically, intellectually, and spiritually to be able to exceed in a society that demands the best.

What has been your greatest motivation to succeed in school?
JAFAR: My greatest motivation to succeed in school is the constant reminder of where I come from and where I want to be. Another thing that motivates me to be successful in school is utilizing the opportunity given to me by A2S, because I know how many people in the world would cherish an opportunity like this.
JENNIFER: My biggest motivation to succeed in school is my family, the kids at the After School Academy who look up to me, and the people who have supported me through this entire journey.
WISDOM:Knowing where I come from and knowing that what the Lord has in store for me has not yet been achieved is my greatest motivator. This is going to take a lot of hard work and dedication for me to get there, and knowing that I have been gifted with an opportunity that not many people have means that I now have a responsibility to be able to do the same for others and be a tool to reach out to those who do not have the privilege that I have.

What is your funniest memory while being in the states?
JAFAR: My funniest memory is how I once mistook bagels for donuts.
JENNIFER: My funniest memory is probably when Jafar called a bagel a donut when he just came to the United States. Although I wasn’t here at the time, it is still very funny to me.
WISDOM: My experience in the U.S. has been fun packed and always exciting, and I can’t really recall one of those moments that really stood out to me.