![]() He may not have been homesick or lonely, but he did admit that American food delivered a culture shock to the palate. Powers drove me to Kent for the pre-season and I already had a friend there,” Ema said, adding that by the time school started in the fall, he had become friends with his teammates. When his plane landed in America, Ema went to Rye to the home of John Powers, chairman of the board of RtD USA. Though Right to Dream did bring Ema to Manchester, England the Netherlands and to Norway, he hadn’t been to the United States until he secured the spot at Kent School. “The last time I saw my mom was 2012,” said Ema, now 18, who explained that he’s never had a chance to be homesick despite leaving home at 11. ![]() ![]() “I was fortunate enough to come to Kent School.” “They try to find you connections to prep schools in the US, colleges (high schools) in the UK, or to professional soccer teams in the US,” Ema said. In 2012, the Kirkpatricks were asked by Right to Dream USA to host Emmanuel Twumasi, who had already made his way from Ghana to Connecticut, where he had secured a scholarship to Kent School.Įma playing soccer for Kent School. The Kirkpatricks connected with Steve and Beje Hirsch, neighbors who were host parents to two of the first boys from Right to Dream on the east coast, Oscar and Bernard, who were attending Kent School. “We were disappointed we couldn’t continue with AFS.”įortunately, the Kirkpatricks learned about Right to Dream (RtD), an organization that provides talented children from all over West Africa with the opportunity to fulfill their potential through soccer, education and character development. “My parents met each other going to Europe through AFS in 1955,” said Rob Kirkpatrick. Since then, the school district discontinued the exchange program with AFS, but the Kirkpatricks found another way to open their home to an exchange student. The teen spent a year living with the Kirkpatricks and attending Greenwich High School. ![]() In 2008, Old Greenwich resident Rob Kirkpatrick and his family hosted a young Muslim AFS exchange student named Simge from Turkey. ![]()
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