A few years ago Keeven Wilson’s future was in doubt. He had a particularly difficult home life, to the point the he and his siblings were removed from their home and parents and placed in shelter care. He rarely attended school and found himself in trouble on a few occasions. As he shouldered a past filled with trauma, success seemed unreachable.
Then his neighbors decided to take a chance and bring him into their home as a foster child. Since then Keeven has made remarkablestrides in turning his life around.
Despite the continued challenges of his familial situation and past experiences, Keeven became an honor roll student and even joined the Kearns High football team. His teachers have nothing but positive remarks for him, and his story is an example of perseverance and determination for his peers.
Keeven was announced as the 2018 Absolutely Incredible Kid during Kearns High School’s farewell assembly. The news was a complete surprise to Keeven, who wasn’t aware that he was even nominated for the recognition.
We received hundreds of amazing nominations this year. In addition to Keeven’s award, we were pleased to recognize the following students as finalists for the Absolutely Incredible Kid Award:
Allen Bahati, Olympus Jr. High
Allen and his family fled their home in Uganda and came to the United States with little more than the clothes on their backs. Despite the challenges of settling in a new country, including living without a home for a time, Allen remained committed to his education and maintains very high marks in his classes. Those who know him are quick to point out his humility and dedication.
Gancci Saintelus, Evergreen Jr. High
Gancci was born in Haiti, but he and his family came to the United States after a devastating earthquake in 2010. He lost his right arm in the disaster, but he’s never slowed down in his pursuit of achievement. He’s remains positive and cheerful, and commits himself to trying new things with every opportunity.
Jakob Satterfield, William Penn Elementary
Jakob is recovering from a long bout with a rare brain tumor. He missed all of last school year and several months of this school year. Yet he still came to any event at the school that he could make it to. He wanted to stay involved and not lose touch with his friends. Now that he’s back, he’s working hard make up any lost ground and stay on pace. All this while maintaining an incredibly optimistic outlook on life.
Perpetua Stevens, Olympus High
At a young age, Perpetua was left to fend for herself in her small Ghanian village. She eventually wound up at an orphanage where she was adopted and brought home with her new family to the United States. Even during the difficult times, she kept an “all-encompassing” happiness about her. Perpetua is a consistent honor roll student and a multi-sport athlete. She will travel to Ghana this summer to provide fundraised supplies to elementary school children.