Graduating to a new adventure

On the day he graduated from Iowa State, Moses Bomett was a lot like the graduates who walked across the stage with him – excited about what his future after college held. But unlike many of these graduates, Moses didn’t head off to start a new job right away after graduation, even though he surely could have. Instead, only a week after receiving his diploma, he packed his bags and headed to Kenya.

Moses is the founder of Hope 4 Africa, an organization dedicated to providing books, computers, and even electricity to schools in Africa that desperately need assistance. And it’s a cause that’s close to his heart – because Moses lived in Kenya for 12 years before his family moved to Iowa when he was 14. It didn’t take long after the move for him to realize that the educational opportunities he found in the United States were ones that just didn’t exist for many children in Africa. That’s when Hope 4 Africa was born – when Moses was a student at Valley High School in West Des Moines.

But instead of forgetting about Hope 4 Africa after he graduated from high school, Moses brought it with him to Iowa State. He started a Hope 4 Africa club on campus and helped it grow into what it is today – an organization that has raised more than $30,000 for students in Africa. And it could also turn out to be the heart and soul of Moses’ future. “I want to continue with Hope 4 Africa and hopefully make it a full-time job,” said Moses. And with a triple major in economics, political science, and international studies, if anyone can turn what started as a club into a full-fledged career, it’s Moses.

The same day he graduated, Moses posted this on Hope 4 Africa’s blog; “Four years ago they told me I was choosing my adventure at Iowa State and I never understood what that meant, but today I do. It is an adventure that started the moment I stepped in Ames, but it doesn’t end today. My adventure is far from ending because this is just the end of the beginning.”

Whether it’s helping children receive an education in Africa, becoming a grounds crew member for the Minnesota Twins, or developing software at Microsoft, recent graduates like Moses Bomett are leaving Iowa State and graduating to their next big adventure.

Follow Moses’ adventure on his Hope 4 Africa blog.