UWC alumnus publishes book about his life as a refugee
Alumnus John Michael Koffi (2015-17) attended UWC Robert Bosch College as a student of the second generation. A refugee since childhood, John Michael was on the move for a big part of his life: because his family belonged to an ethnic minority, they had to flee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, first to Malawi, then to Swasiland. Eager to learn and interested in education from the get-go, John Michael attended school in the refugee camp and organized social and sports events for his fellow peers. Because of his engagement, he met teachers from the United World College in Swasiland, and applied to be accepted to UWC in Freiburg, which he attended on a full scholarship. During his time as a student of the College, he worked on a novel about his experiences as a refugee, which he recently published. In last week’s issue of the local newspaper Badische Zeitung, he spoke with a journalist about the book called “Refuge-e: The Journey Much Desired”, sharing also his initial motivation for writing this autobiography: “Entering Germany was not easy, either. Bureaucracy and complicated immigration laws make this quite hard for refugees”. By talking about his own experiences, John Michael was hoping to convey to readers how some refugees feel, which problems and obstacles many are faced with. For all Freiburg locals, the book is available at Rombach – and otherwise can be found with many online retailers. Visit John Michael’s Page for more information about his journey and future books to be published.