2020 Scholar of the Year: Baraka Musekura

By the age of 20, Baraka had faced more difficulties than many will see in their lifetime. After war broke out and claimed some of his family in his birthplace, the Democratic Republic of Congo, he and his remaining family members migrated to Uganda.

Though life was not favorable there, his parents worked hard to provide for Baraka and his siblings and always stressed the importance of education by making sure he attended school.

In 2013, they were selected for a resettlement program but in 2014 at the age of 20, Baraka lost his father. Nonetheless, Baraka continued on in hopes of gaining a better life for himself.

By 2016, Baraka was resettled in the U.S., in Wichita, KS. Upon arrival, he was welcomed by the International Rescue Committee and was able to get in touch with other families he knew to make him feel at home here.

During the next few years, Baraka worked various jobs around town and by 2018 he and his girlfriend welcomed their first child into the world. The community and care they found within their church helped guide Baraka down the path to get his GED and gain a career that would help him provide for his growing family.

Through Workforce of South Central Kansas, Baraka found and joined the NexStep Alliance program and excelled in everything he set out to achieve, from becoming Microsoft Office certified, to gaining his certificate in Composite Fabrication through WSU Tech while also completing his GED.

While 2020 took Baraka’s career down a different path, he and his wife wed this year and now have two healthy children. In addition, they will also become homeowners this year through Habitat for Humanity.