STUDENT OF THE MONTH — Alusine Kamara

For the second time in his high school career, Senior Alusine Kamara has been chosen as West Ashley High School’s Student of the Month. He first received the honor when he was a freshman. Kamara was surprised when he learned he was selected this time. He did, however, have an idea of what earned him this recognition. “I always come to class on time, do my work, and I always do what the teachers tell me to. But it’s still an honor,” he says.
Kamara works hard in school to maintain his high GPA. He works hard in everything he does and that’s one of his greatest strengths. “Alusine Kamara is an outstanding student who is also an accomplished athlete. Even when his home was severely damaged in the recent flooding, he still came to school and did his work. He is a role model for responsibility and maturity and gives 100 percent to his team in his project design class,” says engineering teacher Dr. Barbara Leonard.
Not only do his teachers see his hard work and determination, his school counselor sees it too. “Alusine is not only a great student but he is a great person. He challenges himself with our most difficult classes and excels. He also spends a lot of time and effort applying for very difficult scholarships. He has a positive attitude and is always smiling when I see him, and he has accomplished all of this while going through trying times,” says school counselor Lindsey Hansen.
Roughly 10 years ago, Kamara lived in Africa. He and his family were caught in the middle of a civil war, and his family left to find a safe place to live. This is when they came to the United States. He says that he made a lot of bad choices when he was younger and living in Africa, but he’s making up for that now.
“I wasn’t really a good kid, but when I came [to America], I realized there wasn’t a point,” says Kamara. Ever since then, he has been making better choices. Kamara has had to overcome many obstacles during his lifetime, but unlike many who face hardships, he has endured and even grown stronger. “You really have to come from a place with nothing to really be able to appreciate all of the things that you do have,” he says. Kamara tries to be grateful for everything that he has and to be positive. “Life is just a race against time, so have a good time,” he says.
When Kamara isn’t in school, he’s either playing basketball or video games. He’s also a part of a club at WAHS called SeaPerch that designs and builds robots that drive underwater. The group competed last year in the annual SeaPerch Underwater Robotics Competition and placed first overall in the high school division. “I like learning new things and I like learning how things work,” says Kamara. This is part of the reason why he says science is his favorite subject in school.
When Kamara graduates in the spring of 2016, he plans to go to college and major in engineering. He hopes to attend Clemson University and become a mechanical engineer. Kamara wants to work on a big project, to design and build something that is going to make a lasting impression on the world. Kamara plans to capitalize on every opportunity that he gets while in college and wants to leave this advice for his classmates: “Take advantage of your life and every opportunity that you get.”