Keshia, 19 years old, 12th grade, Originally from Gabon, International High School of Prospect Heights

Keshia immigrated to the USA less than 4 years ago and has been an academic and social leader in her high school ever since. She received an Urban Hero Award as recognition of her active and dedicated participation in the iMentor Program. Keshia wishes to complete her medical education and training in the USA as a neurosurgeon and then return to Gabon to provide desperately needed humanitarian and medical support. She is selflessly dedicated to others and widely contributes her positive life goals.

Keshia has worked for the Human Rights Summer Institute, learning a lot about global issues. In the future, she envisions herself working for an organization like Doctors without Borders. Keshia has never traveled anywhere except when she first came to the USA from Gabon. In her neighborhood, she see gang violence as a big problem and to fix this would create more after-school problems “to get youth more involved in activities so they are always busy”. Keshia understands potential as being “a person’s ability to do or achieve things, and these abilities are within the person. These can be developed by doing many activities.”

Keshia says “where I am from, people do not have a lot of opportunities to be what they want in life due to lack of facilities and people willing to do some thing for the communities and not for their own profit.” The reason why she chose to join Global Potential, she says, “is because it will give me the skills that I need for my future life goal. We teenagers, living in developed country, do care much or inform ourselves about the world outside. I just think that it will be a wonderful experience.”