OHIO – When Alfreda Koroma heads to The Ohio State University in the fall she'll study nursing. 

The 17-year-old, West African native recently graduated from Mifflin high school in Columbus as a soccer captain, National Honor Society President, Columbus City Schools Ambassador, and she accomplished that with a 4.0 GPA.

But Alfreda's future didn't always look so bright.
 
In Sierra Leone, men discouraged girls from getting an education, and when they did, it was a struggle. 
 
Koroma says there were lots of child predators and a host of other things that she and her family faced. 
 
and if that wasn't enough they had to face one of the greatest epidemics to hit the African continent.  
 
"I grew up in different areas. I moved a lot. Most of the people I grew up with they were the ones I lost during the Ebola outbreak."
 
"I lost a lot from that. We had to be quarantined for 21 days, it was an experience," said Koroma.
 

And that experience, along with so many others fueled a dream inside of her that wouldn't die.
 
That dream was to come to the US, get an education, and return to help those in Sierra Leone. 
 
In 2015 that dream started to become a reality, but when she arrived, it wasn't exactly how she imagined. 
 
Koroma was bullied when she went to school and day after day she would hear things like - You don't belong here, why are you wearing that shirt, why are you so dark or tall?

Hearing those words were painful, but they fueled her to figure out how she could learn as much as possible and graduate early.
 
But figuring out how to do that came with a whole unique set of challenges. 
 
"Most of the people, they're like oh - graduating early is not a good idea. You won't get enough scholarships. You won't be having enough financial aid. Colleges won't accept you," said Koroma.

Still determined, Koroma found a way, and all the while things were starting to turn around. The bullying died down. She became the soccer team captain, made homecoming court, and the President of the National Honor Society.
 
She credits motivation from peers and adults, journaling, and holding onto her culture and faith, for helping her to get through her challenges. 
 
She's now beat the odds, by getting her high school diploma and winning multiple scholarships for college in the fall at The Ohio State University. 

Her goal now is to inspire others to never let their dreams die, no matter where they come from or what they face.