Profile Loseni Kamara, Rising Stars Scholar/Athlete: A Success Story
Fall 2012 Grade 7 Honor Roll
Loseni Kamara was first introduced to Rising Stars as a player via its association with Gimme Five director and Rising Stars Team NYC coach Donald Francois. Coach Francois was concerned for Loseni's immediate welfare and saw Rising Stars as a vehicle for making an difference in Loseni's daily life.
Loseni's mother Hajah, a native of Africa had fled here to escape the civil unrest and threats to her family there. Hajah came upon equally difficult times here and found herself and her four siblings struggling to survive. She was living in a homeless shelter for abused women and came to Coach Francois for help and guidance. Coach Francois agreed to become Loseni's legal guardian and do his best to provide the opportunities to succeed Hajah would not be able to provide. Francois saw that Loseni needed to find an environment more conducive to learning then the public schools and the streets. He asked Rising Stars to try and locate a school away from the immediate risks and distractions Loseni faced daily. He felt that if Loseni were put into a different educational environment he could excel academically. Loseni loved basketball .It was a constant in his life. Rising Stars put him on teams and enrolled him in its yearly clinics and camps. It also pushed for his admission to LuHi as a 7th grader contingent on his maintaining a passing GPA along with the promise of tutoring and any other support he would need to stay enrolled.
This fall Loseni met and exceeded everyone's expectations except his own. He passed all his grades and made honor roll. He also made the LuHi basketball team.