Inside Columbus City Schools (ccsoh.us/news)
Centennial High School Senior Celebrating More Than Graduation, Proving All Things Possible
In just a couple of months, seniors across Columbus City Schools will celebrate graduation -- a significant accomplishment and the beginning of a new era. But, for one Centennial High School senior, the celebrations came early. March 15, 2022 is a day Alvin Forte won’t forget. It was the day he became a United States citizen. The road, however, wasn’t an easy one.
Forte, the son of two Liberian natives who fled the war-torn country, was born in Ghana in 2003. When he was just six months old, his father left for Australia, while he and his mother came to the United States on refugee status. They settled in Pennsylvania with aspirations of starting a new life. Things were going well, but unfortunately they did not last. Forte’s mother grew ill and passed away when he was 11 years old...