Jestina Brewah - Student Of The Month

Student of the Month

Jestina Brewah came to St. Louis in July 2014 with her mother to visit her uncle Gerald Brewah and his family. While Ebola was already affecting some of the provinces in her home country of Sierra Leone, it was not perceived as a major threat. Unfortunately during their visit, the Ebola virus began spreading rapidly with devastating effects in Sierra Leone. All schools and colleges in the country were closed and Jestina and her mother were granted temporary protected status in the United States. Returning to Sierra Leone during the height of the epidemic would have been dangerous.

Jestina had been attending an all-girls school and studying English in Sierra Leone. She started school as a junior at University City High School in the Fall Semester and then transferred to Lutheran South with a CFNA scholarship for the Spring Semester. She found the Lutheran South students and teachers to be both warm and welcoming, and she's grateful that her education in Sierra Leone prepared her to be successful at academically rigorous Lutheran South.

Jestina and her Mom will remain in the United States, staying with Gerald Brewah until she finishes her senior year at Lutheran South. She is also considering the possibility of attending an American college when she graduates.

By: Judith Meyer