Adam Gerhardstein's souvenirs of Africa include a basket and carved giraffe. (Glenn Hartong photo) | ZOOM |

        He spent 10 weeks last year teaching in a poor African village. His Kenyan students impressed him with their eagerness to learn. Now 19-year-old Adam Gerhardstein says he's ready to study, too.

        “I didn't want to go to college until I was really ready to go to college,” he says. “I feel ready to learn.

        “My energy is definitely refocused. I'm trying to get positive things done, and I'm trying to make something of myself,” the Kennedy Heights resident says.

        He admits that for a time after returning from Kenya, he returned to his old ways. He partied heartily. But as he sets his sights on attending college this fall, he says he's pushed that habit aside.

        “I don't think I'd have been able to do that at this stage if I hadn't gained some of the understanding I gained in Kenya.

        “To a certain extent, I've learned a little bit about what's truly important in life, and what's worth worrying about, and how much one can do, if given the opportunity.”

        The Enquirer wrote about Mr. Gerhardstein in January, about seven weeks after his return from Kenya. (January story>)

        The 2000 Walnut Hills High School graduate told of becoming an intern for Global Routes, a community service organization that immerses young people in the life of communities in Latin America, Asia, the Caribbean and Africa. Mr. Gerhardstein lived with a family in the Kenyan village of Ebukhaya. The home had no electricity or phone. Water came from a nearby creek.

        The experience, he now says, “made me grow up a lot quicker.”

        Upon his return to Cincinnati, he formed Ugali, a nonprofit organization named for a staple food of Kenya. Ugali's purpose is to raise funds for students' school fees, which many villagers have trouble paying.

        To date, $4,500 has been raised. He's hoping for an additional $1,000, which would cover a full year of education for all students at the Ebukhaya school.

        For information about Ugali, or to make a tax-deductible contribution, contact Adam Gerhardstein at 5815 Wyatt Ave., Cincinnati OH 45213 or e-mail adam0102@aol.com.

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