A View of Hope

Enjoy these pictures that the students took of things in their lives that inspire them or give them hope. Each student has chosen one picture to display at the concluding gala. To view the rest of the pictures a student took, click on the student's name. 

Yaak Awuok, 13 (South Sudan)

Soccer field, Gates Chili High School
"I like to play soccer a lot, and soccer inspires me. It makes me work harder. This was Deu's [my brother] field. We had tryouts yesterday, and I made the team!"

Salome Kasinge, 14 (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Suzanna, 4 years old
"Suzanna is so cute! I met her and her mom at Mary's Place, and I love her so much! She plays violin, and is so sweet and lovable. She's really ticklish and likes to tickle people a lot."

Awal Awuok, 15 (South Sudan)

My friends
"My friends are really funny, and they're always there for me. They are my support system."

Josephine Kasinge, 19 (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Christ
"This sculpture always reminds me of how much sin we commit, and what Jesus did to wipe away all of the sins that people committed, so they can start a new life. I see this picture, and it gives me the strength and the willingness to help other people who struggle in life, even in a simple way. It's in my backyard, close to my room's window, so when I wake up, I look at this and it gives me strength to start the day with love and happiness wherever I go."

Deu Awuok, 15 (South Sudan)

The park

"I thought these flowers looked really nice. I like this park because people can walk through it and look at the flowers, and we play soccer there. Once, last year, we had church outside in this park, and it was a lot of fun." 

Esther Htoo, 16 (Thailand)

Drums at church

"At Sunday School, I teach Bible and sing songs. We play music together at church and sing together. Sometimes I play the drums."

Aye Wathy Myat, 14 (Thailand)

Community

"This is a group of people in our church community eating and enjoying the church picnic. We all helped to make the food; everyone had to work together. Community is important to me because if someone makes mistakes, we forgive each other."

Thaw Htoo, 16 (Thailand)

Family and Friends

"This is a picture of me, my friend Camila, and my niece Ehhtee in front of Mary's Place. Family is important to me because everyone needs family to help each other. When my family gets together, we all sit around the table and talk and laugh with each other."

Steri Yah Htoo, 16 (Thailand)

My room

"My room is a peaceful space for me to draw. I like to draw pictures in my room of houses and nature."

Th Zin Say, 18 (Thailand)

Tomatoes

"We have a garden outside our house. We grow squash and Asian vegetables. It's fun to garden because you can grow food for your family. My family members take turns taking care of the garden."

Ehhtee Paw, 12 (Thailand)

Wrist Tying

"The Wrist Tying Celebration is believed to be lucky and keeps peace and the spirit with you. In this picture, the people are tying our wrists and giving us snacks. My culture gives me my identity and speaks to others." 

Ler Tha Taw, 14 (Thailand)

Trees

"This is a picture of nature in my backyard. The trees give us oxygen to breathe. If we don't have nature, we can't live."

Ywa Hay Moo, 16 (Thailand)

Wrist Tying Celebration

"This celebration is a tradition in the Karen community. It brings everyone together. There's singing and dancing, and everyone celebrates our culture. I think it's important that we keep these celebrations going so that the new generation doesn't forget our culture."

Si Thu Myat, 16 (Thailand)

Karen Community Lunch

"This was during the Wrist Tying Celebration. The adults made the food and we all ate together. We sang and danced together. We love the community and don't forget our language and culture. My culture is important to me because it will help us remember where we come from."

Anuarite, 19 (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Church

"This is a statue of Mary, Jesus' mother, at my church. I love to go to church because we can pray to God and He can help us when we need help. I sing at church, but since there aren't many Africans, we sing in English."

Daniel Hamenyimana, 13 (Tanzania)

Medina

"This is my little sister, Medina. She is one year old. I love this picture because she is important to me. She is cute and she is the only baby in my family, so I love her the most. She is kind and is my best friend. My favorite memory of her is when she started walking, because I taught her how to walk fast."

Freddy Kasinge, 12 (Democratic Republic of Congo) 

Celestin
"This is my brother Celestin. He is my youngest brother; he is eight years old. I like Celestin because he likes to have fun with anything he can. If I didn't have my family, I wouldn't be anywhere. My family gives me what I want: love." 

Fidele Nibizi, 13 (Tanzania)

My cousins

"This is Isabella and Rahama, my cousins. Isabella is three and Rahama is two. They always smile. I love playing with them, especially when we play tag together."