Olympian Lopez Lomong returns to The Woodlands Christian Academy for a day of athletics and inspiration

THE WOODLANDS, TX – Recently, The Woodlands Christian Academy (TWCA), in partnership with World Vision, welcomed Lopez Lomong, U.S. Olympian, to campus to spend the day with students. This was the second time in as many years that the inspirational athlete came to the school to share his amazing story.

Lomong was born in southern Sudan in 1985. At the age of six and at the height of the Second Sudanese Civil War, he was abducted by rebel soldiers. Assumed dead by his family, he languished in captivity, nearly dying there, but eventually escaped with three friends, running for three days solid in bare feet until they crossed into Kenya. After a decade at the Kakuma refugee camp there, he came to the United States through the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor program.

As one of the Lost Boys of Sudan – a group of more than 20,000 boys who were displaced or orphaned during the civil war – Lomong embraced his adoptive country, working hard to graduate high school and later win the Division I NCAA indoor championship at 3,000 meters and the outdoor championship at 1,500 meters while competing for Northern Arizona. He eventually became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 2007, after reuniting with the family left behind in Sudan whose members thought the others were dead.

For the second year in a row, he traveled to the academy to spend the day with students. The morning was spent outdoors inspiring the younger students to remain active with a series of races and activities. He spent lunch dining with the school’s cross country team, then dedicated the afternoon to two separate assemblies – one for the high school students and one for the middle school students – to tell his inspirational tale and read excerpts from his book, ‘Running for My Life.’

“We are delighted to welcome Lopez Lomong to our campus. His testimony of escaping Sudan and becoming a U.S. Olympic athlete will inspire our students to pursue their dreams,” said Julie Ambler, Head of School at The Woodlands Christian Academy. “His visit, along with our World Vision partnership, helps our students to become globally aware and to serve poor and vulnerable populations with dignity and love.”

For years, Lomong has been an advocate for his native home, speaking on behalf of humanitarian needs and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for education, water and more. By sharing his story with TWCA students, Lomong hopes to inspire these future young leaders to also advocate for others and to be change-makers in the world.

“By my being here today, hopefully it will bring more people to The Woodlands Christian Academy so they can join the engagement of helping their community,” he said.

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