Student Of The Month - Cyrille Mbah

My name is Cyrille Mbah. I was born in Yaoundé Cameroon, West Africa. I lived in Cameroon until I was seven years old. My dad was persecuted out of the country by the government. My mom and I had to escape in the middle of the night to Nigeria, hoping not to be arrested by the police who were looking for my dad. We met my dad at the Nigerian border where he had been waiting for us for a week. It was sad to leave all my friends behind all of a sudden. I was confused; I really did not know what was going on. The first day we got to Nigeria my parents were robbed. That was one of the scariest moments of my life; I had never seen gunmen threatening to kill for money. We later joined my dad’s brothers who were at the refugee camp anxiously waiting for us to arrive. My dad was resettled to the United States, leaving my mom and me behind for two years before we could join him.

When I came to Saint Louis I was nine years old. I was enrolled at King of Glory Lutheran School. I loved that school—the teachers were so kind to me. It was the first time in a long time that I felt safe without being around my parents. I wasn’t scared that someone would be looking for me to take me and my parents away. I quickly adapted to the new school and the new students although the first few months I would get upset when kids teased me about where I came from. Nevertheless, after a while, it never bothered me anymore because I was proud of where I came from and I always prayed to God that I would have the opportunity to go back and visit family members. After setting at King of Glory for a couple of years, I had the news that King of Glory was going to shut down. I was worried about where I would go to school next, but thanks to God he took care of that situation for me. I was enrolled in Word of Life Lutheran School where I met old classmates from King of Glory; it was nice to have people I knew in a new environment.

My first year at Word of Life was great. I excelled in my education and athletics. For the first time I made it to state and placed in all my track and field events. I am currently in eighth grade and looking forward to attending Lutheran High School South. Sometimes I help out in the after-school program for the younger New American children at Word of Life. I thank God for my life and that I am here today living a happy life and expecting a little sister.