Dominic

My name is Dominic, and my friends call me DK. I live in Monrovia, Liberia with my mom. I was born into a family of seven children during the start of the civil war in Lofa County, Liberia. Our family relocated to Monrovia to find safety and a better life. Our father abandoned us during the war, and we struggled with our single mother to secure food and shelter. We often suffered from malaria, typhoid and other illnesses because of our poor living conditions and lack of access to healthcare facilities. Our mother did housework for others to provide for us. Because of our financial condition, I was not able to pay for school and ended up graduating later from high school than my peers. I also started selling coal with my mother in a local market to help provide for our family.

I met Jesus during a church service in 2010 and said yes to following Him and accepting Him as my Lord and personal Savior. Since that time, my life has been anchored with meaning and purpose. I then got connected to Young Life through my friend and started attending club and camp. After camp, I consistently went to campaigners too. I am currently a team leader for a high school club.

As a recipient of the Developing Global Leaders scholarship, I am studying criminal justice at the African Methodist Episcopal University in Monrovia. I could not attend university without this scholarship. After graduation, I want to be a lawyer. I chose this degree because I want to help the poor and those whose rights have been violated. After graduation, I hope to get a well-paying job to help support myself, my family and my community.