Every year, Current Events and WR News ask readers to interview someone who saw history in the making. It's the Eyewitness to History Contest! On this page, you can read a winning entry from the 2010 to 2011 school year.

Get ready to take a ride through important moments in history. Not only do these interviews provide a record of people's experiences, they transport the reader back in time with vivid details and emotional connections.

Current Events Grand Prize Winner: "On the Run" by Katie H. - Grade 7, LaVilla School of the Arts, Florida

My name is Katie, and I’m interviewing John Kuai, one of the former Lost Boys of Sudan, who now lives in the U.S. John was separated from his parents during the civil war between the north and south of Sudan. Even though it was one of the longest civil wars in history (more than 20 years), most people didn’t even know about it. That’s pretty sad, because millions of people were killed during the war and millions of others lost their homes. At least 30,000 kids were separated from their families, and John was one of them. Kids from all over south Sudan joined together to walk thousands of miles to find a safe place to stay. More than half of them died along the way from starvation, lack of water, and attacks by crocodiles, hippos, and enemy soldiers.

Katie: When you were a child, what was it like living in your village? What kinds of things did you do?

John Kuai: I couldn’t take care of the cows, because I was too young, so I took care of the goats. Most of the time, I played with my cousins and siblings. We played Adhau (similar to hockey), but we used branches and balls carved out of wood. We also played Tok Kurou (similar to mancala) by digging holes in the ground and filling them with stones.

Katie: How old were you when you were separated from your family? How did it happen?

JK: I was 8 years old. It was almost nighttime, and I was cleaning the cattle pen with my father. My mother was in our tukel (hut), and my brothers were at cattle camp (a place near water where the older children took the cattle during the hot summer months). The government soldiers, from northern Sudan, attacked our village and killed my father. I ran, and that’s how I became separated from my family. I later found my uncle, and we walked together.

Katie: You must have been exhausted when you were walking with the other children to Ethiopia. There were probably times when you wanted to give up. What kept you walking?

JK: The journey was very difficult. It lasted for almost three months, and it was the longest journey I’ve ever traveled. I didn’t think I would make it. There were moments when I refused to walk. It was my uncle who kept me walking, but it was God who kept me alive.

Katie: What are some of your memories of living in the refugee camp in Ethiopia? (A refugee camp is a shelter for persons displaced by war, political oppression, or religious beliefs).

JK: We didn’t have much food or water, and a lot of us got sick. We had a lot of chores like cooking and cleaning. The worst memories I have from Panyido Refugee Camp are those of my friends who didn’t survive.

Katie: Why do they call you the Lost Boys of Sudan?

JK: Aid workers in the camp named us the Lost Boys after the characters in Peter Pan. Like us, they didn’t have their mothers and fathers and were living on their own.

Katie: When civil war broke out in Ethiopia, you had to flee back to Sudan and were forced to cross the Gilo River in the middle of the rainy season. It was full of hippos and crocodiles. What do you remember most about crossing the Gilo?

JK: When I reached the river, I saw a number of children on the banks, terrified [and] not knowing what to do. And me being the only one who knew how to swim, I took the log of a tree and told five of them to hold on to it, and I swam across the river, tugging them along. I was so glad that I could save them.

Katie: Eventually, you made it to the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. By that time, you had walked over a thousand miles. That would be like walking from New York City to West Palm Beach, Fla. What do you remember most about living in Kakuma?

JK: Life was hard in Kakuma; we didn’t have much food or water and almost no medicine. But one good thing that we did have was school. I was a good student and a member of the debate team. Another thing that I remember is the postcards given to us by [United Nations] workers, from kids around the world. We wrote to each other, and we were excited to hear about their fascinating lives. I represented my zone (area) of the camp in soccer matches against boys in other areas of camp. On Saturdays, we practiced singing and dancing for the church service on Sunday. Sometimes people talked too much, and church lasted for four hours.

Katie: When you were living in Kakuma, your name was picked in a lottery sponsored by the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and the U.S. government, granting you the opportunity to resettle in the U.S. When did you arrive in America?

JK: I came to America in the spring of 2001.

Katie: What surprised you most when you came to America?

JK: I was surprised by all the cars, tall buildings, and escalators. The escalators looked like they were going into the ground. I couldn’t believe all the technology that you have in America.

Katie: In 2009, you were given the Albert D. Ernest, Jr. Caring Award by the University of North Florida (UNF) for your volunteer efforts in the refugee camps and with Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan here in America. How did that feel? What are some of your other accomplishments?

JK: I never thought I would get an award like that in front of thousands of graduating students from UNF. I was very honored and excited. I was also featured on ABC News, and my story was seen around the world. I speak in schools around the U.S. to help raise awareness for my people. Some of my other accomplishments include graduating from [Florida Community College at Jacksonville] and earning a place on the National Honor Society. I’m currently attending [the] University of North Florida and plan to go to medical school and become a doctor, so that I can go back to Sudan and help my people.

Katie: Were you ever able to find your mother or siblings?

JK: I talked to my mother for the first time by telephone in 2005. I had not seen or spoken to her in 18 years. In 2009, I flew to Nairobi to meet her face-to-face. I was so happy to see her. It was the most wonderful day of my life.

What I Learned

No matter what your circumstances are, you can always find a way to make a difference. John is a prime example of that, coming from an unimaginable situation but persevering until his dream came true, coming to America and getting a college degree. Now he’s giving back and working toward a career to help his people. I think that’s very honorable, as well as inspirational.

Back to Eyewitness to History Winners Landing Page

First Runner-up: "Interview with Knox Martin" by Roussadana R., Texas

Second Runner-up: "An Inside View of September 11, 2001" by Kirk Z., Pennsylvania

Third Runner-up: "Operation Enduring Freedom: A Marine's Mission" by Grace B., Pennsylvania