A Long Way From Home
KIRKLAND, Wash. - Williwu “Wu” Siefa’s journey to Northwest University and the United States has been anything but easy. His 6,872 mile trip has given him many opportunities in a new and different land with the hopes of returning home some day to help out his country.
On first glance, his imposing 6’4”, 225 pound frame and chiseled body can be intimidating until his broad smile and friendly demeanor puts you at ease. Behind the smile and warm personality is quite a story about his journey to the U.S. and eventually the campus of Northwest U.
Tim Sill, an NU professor in the School of Business and Management, met Wu off campus. “My wife and I do an international student ministry at Green River Community College. I met Wu at one of those evenings and noticed right away that Wu seemed to have a strong faith in Christ.”
“I’m from Liberia, West Africa and growing up there, I went through a lot of stuff,” Williwu explains. “All my childhood was 14 years of civil war. All I saw was war and growing up was pretty bad.”
Tom Sill knows much of Wu’s story: “Many times rebel troops would come through their village and everybody would have to look for shelter or hide in the woods.” It was a tumultuous time in Liberia’s history.
Wu comes from a family with four brothers and one sister and his father wanted a better future for his son, so they went to the U.S. embassy to apply for a student visa. They were informed Wu needed to prove they had $30,000 in bank accounts in order for him to qualify.
“I didn’t have the money, but God made the way,” Wu recounts “My parents and I prayed and then we came back to the embassy.” With no more documents than he had the first time, the embassy official said “Okay” and stamped his passport as “approved”. Wu began his journey to the States and eventually Washington state.
When Professor Sill first met Wu at bible study, he was about to graduate from Green River, a two year community college. Sill told him about Northwest University. Wu applied and was accepted to NU, but he would need financial assistance in order to realize his dream.
Wu had some athletic experience and a love of basketball, but soccer proved to be his best sport. “We saw he had talent and we wanted to give him an opportunity,” said Gary McIntosh, NU men’s soccer coach, “so we offered him a scholarship. It was great to have him out there, he’s such a good teammate.” The scholarship was a big step, but it wasn’t enough to cover all of Wu’s needs, so Tom Sill took him to meet Mark Mandi, head cross country and track and field coach.
“Wu did some running on the track and it seemed like it was going okay until Wu ran the 200 against of one of Northwest’s sprinters,” recalled Sill. “That’s when I saw Mark’s (Mandi) eyes light up and he said, “Wow, this guy can really run.” With a partial track scholarship along with a soccer scholarship and additional international student aid Northwest provided, Wu was able to attend the school.
During track season, Williwu ran the 100m, 200m, 400m and the 4X100 relay. When he wasn't competing in his events, one could see him on the sideline cheering on his teammates and encouraging them whether it was near a high jump or pole vault pit, or along the side of the track.
After a year on campus, Wu’s attention turned to basketball and last year, he earned a spot on the successful Eagle team which earned a co-championship and made a trip to the NAIA national championships where the team made it to the quarterfinals. Wu’s time was limited, but his impact on the team transcended playing time.
“Having Wu on the team was nothing but positive,” commented head coach, John Van Dyke. “He has such a great personality and character, he inspires his teammates always remaining positive and encouraging.” It was that contribution to the team that helped him earn a Champions of Character Award at the NAIA championships in Missouri which he accepted to the applause of his teammates and coaches.
Wu’s contributions to NU have not just been in athletics. He takes his studies seriously and has set his sight on earning a degree and returning to Liberia to help his fellow countrymen some day.
Teammate and friend Nik Borisov knows Wu’s goals: “He wants to get an education and the tools necessary here and then go back (to Liberia) and make a difference in Africa. Just change the way people live there and change the way things are done.”
Wu himself states, “I wish I could be financially strong and, mainly, spiritually strong.” He wants to carry a crusade and help out companies that can help people. “A lot of people (in Liberia) don’t have work to do and I wish I could give them work. I don’t want glory to come to me—all the glory to God—but I wish I could do that. It would be really nice to help the people of Liberia. That is where my heart is.”
His teammates see great days ahead for him. “I believe one day Wu will do great things,” stated Borisov, “because he has a high standard he lives according to. He’s very Christ oriented—everything that he does is according to God’s Word.”
Wu graduated last spring and has been accepted to graduate school at Northwest and hopes to earn a masters degree.
Seattle may be nearly 7,000 miles from Liberia and home, but Williwu isn’t totally surprised to be here. “I got a picture when I was about nine years old,” Wu recalls. In that photo, he is wearing an image of Seattle on the front of his t-shirt. He carries the photo in his bible.
“That picture always inspires me,” says Wu. “I think God brought me to Seattle for a reason. So any time I feel down, I just look at that picture and know I have a future.”
The future looks bright for Williwu Siefa.
Excerpts and quotations courtesy of Northwest Passages