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Simpson junior and DRC Congo native Espoire Nkomezi ’25 had not seen his family in 14 years. He got the opportunity to come to the United States as a refugee with his uncle, and though it meant leaving his parents and 10 siblings behind, he took it.
Espoire began attending Simpson in 2021, where he is currently majoring in Health and Exercise Science. In addition to his studies, he has worked to pay for college and his living expenses, as well as to support his family back in Africa.
The plan has always been for Espoire’s family to attend his graduation in 2025, but because of immigration status concerns, this was never a guarantee. As fate would have it, Espoire’s parents and four younger siblings were recently relocated from a refugee camp in Burundi to New York.
Upon discovering his biological family was coming to the U.S., Espoire shared the exciting news with his Simpson family. Staff from Student Support Services and the Financial Aid Office then began working to secure funding for Espoire to travel to New York.
With funds from the SC Cares program and incredible support from several of his professors, Espoire booked a flight to New York and met his family at the airport—a 14-year reunion in the making.