As I watched Juma walk across the stage at Bud Walton Arena I couldn't help but remember the little guy I met 12 years ago. During our first conversation on the day that he moved into our JCO Children's Home I got a glimpse and a preview of the exceptional man that I know today.
While he seemed timid at first, underneath his quiet demeanor was a passionate and determined young man prepared to do everything he could to realize his dreams.
Twelve years ago, Juma was in the 8th grade. His principal, Mr. Anyango, brought Juma to our attention. He was a kid in need of help, as many kids there are, but Mr. Anayngo had recognized at an early stage that Juma was exceptional. He told us that if Juma were to get the support he needed, he could truly excel. Boy was he right!
Children in many rural areas in Kenya have little access to computers and, even then, only sparingly. When Juma graduated high school he had little experience on a computer or even a smartphone. However, when he joined our RH Scholars program and moved to Arkansas, he quickly made up for lost time. Within just a year or two of living in an entirely new country, with English as his third language, he started coding and was often the person helping me with my phone or computer troubles.
Juma has gifts in understanding both hardware and software. Yes, he can code and implement high level software, but I have also witnessed him take apart broken computers, fix them, and put them back together again. On May 11th, he graduated from the Walton College of Business with a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems. His GPA for his final semester was a 3.75 and his overall GPA is a 3.14.
How incredible is that? I would wager that all of his classmates who graduated with him had daily access to computers for most of their lives which resulted in a huge head start in their field. However, in the end, it didn't seem to hinder Juma one bit.
We couldn't be prouder of Juma. It is a major accomplishment for which he has worked diligently. He has always been a hard worker. From the moment Juma moved into our JCO Children's Home, the other kids looked up to him. His focus on school made studying cool and resulted in a major shift in the culture of our home. Now everyone wanted to study and do well in school just because Juma did.
As impressive as Juma's intellect and work ethic are, by my lights, the most impressive thing about him will always be his heart. From a very young age he has been deeply compassionate and concerned with the welfare of others. Even as he succeeds and continues to climb, he remains grounded in his determination to ensure that whatever he does in the world will include making it better. He is passionate about helping his community and the world at large and I believe with all of my heart that he will do just that. Juma uses the struggles that he has been through to fuel him and inform how he wants to show up in the world. He is spinning that struggle into gold for himself and his community. He sees a future where he can use technology to improve the lives of people and I have no doubt he will.
The world is a better place because Juma is in it and I am grateful to know him, to love him, and to call him family. A huge thank you to every one of you that helped him along the way directly or just by supporting Restore Humanity's programs. You made this possible and trust me when I say that this is only the beginning. We are so excited to see what the future has in store for our dear Juma!
P.S. The picture below was taken in 2013, when Juma was still shorter than me.
With Love & Gratitude,
Sarah
