Keak Chol has always known the value of an education.
So when the schooling system in his native Sudan was shut down, he knew he had to pursue other options.
After living through two refugee camps and immigrating into the United States, Chol is now a senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
He is one of nearly 1,000 Sudanese refugees living in Lincoln, said Mary Willis, assistant professor of anthropology and geography at UNL.
Willis, along with other UNL professors and students, organized an aid drive to help Chol and other Sudanese refugees. The drive is being held Nov. 26-30 on the UNL campus.
"(Sudanese refugees have) seen the trauma of war. They've seen family members dying. What they need now is to completely start over," Willis said.
For Chol, starting over meant leaving his homeland in search of better opportunities.
"I wasn't getting anywhere in Sudan," Chol said. "I wanted to go somewhere where I could get an education."
But his goals weren't a simple plane ride away. Chol had to endure two refugee camps before he could even have a chance to come to the United States.
Chol was moved to Kenya and placed in his first camp as a child. A year later, he was transferred to a camp nearby, where he lived in a room so dusty he could barely breathe.
"It's the worst place you could ever stay in," he said.
Chol said he and his roommates had to construct makeshift cardboard shelters just to keep their irritation at a minimum.
Death by disease, war and animals was common, Chol said.
"People died all the time," he said.
So it was a lucky break when Chol met someone who was willing to sponsor his immigration to the United States.
With his friend's help, Chol obtained from the United Nations the affidavit, along with some money, he would need to come to America.
He arrived in San Diego, Calif., on Aug. 11, 1995, with few skills and little education other than the English he had picked up in Kenya.
After moving around the country, Chol finally settled in Lincoln in 1999 upon hearing the job market was good.
He's now a criminal justice major with a concentration in military science. After graduation, Chol hopes to join the fight against the oppressive Sudanese government - maybe in the United States, maybe in Sudan.
"If I have a chance to go back and make a difference, I would go back," he said.
But Chol said overall, he's happy to be in the United States, even though the adjustment to American culture has been overwhelming.
"I'm making it by learning. I'm trying to imitate people," he said.
"The U.S. has tremendous opportunities. If you use them, your life will improve."
The civil war in Sudan Chol wants to join has been going on for about 20 years, Willis said.
The war has forced half a million Sudanese into refugee camps, and displaced four million more, Willis said.
Eight thousand Sudanese refugees have entered Nebraska since 1975, she said.
"The population is large, and it's a very needy population," she said.
Lincoln's large sect of Sudanese spurred Willis to create an aid drive for them.
Booths are set up at both of UNL's Unions as well as the Culture Center, 333 N. 14th St., until Nov. 30, Willis said.
UNL students and staff are being asked to donate money, clothing, household furnishings, toys and books, she said.
The items collected will be distributed Saturday at Christ Lutheran Church, 4325 Sumner St., during a Sudanese outreach program, she said.
Willis said Lincoln's Sudanese families are badly in need of supplies since they had to leave their country with almost nothing.
"They got to bring nothing in the way of resources - no books, no clothing, no food," she said.
The aid drive is sponsored by the Culture Center and the departments of anthropology, geography and African-American and African studies, said Renita Tyrance, the center's assistant director.
She agreed the drive will be beneficial to the Sudanese.
"They are really in need," she said. "They are in difficult situations. They came to the U.S. with nothing more than the clothes on their backs."
The drive is completely a volunteer effort, she said, a testament to the university's mission.
"Whenever we have an opportunity, the humanity of helping someone live a better life is better for everyone," Tyrance said.
Willis said Chol's story is an exceptional one for a Sudanese refugee.
"It's amazing for Keak to get to college in and of itself," she said. "He's been able to enter this institution and do well."
Chol has remarkable communication skills, she said.
"You would have a hard time talking to him and knowing that he's had such a hard life," Willis said. "He's warm and caring and appreciative of the opportunity to learn."
Chol acknowledges these opportunities are ones he wouldn't have gotten in Sudan.
Life in America is much safer, he said.
"In Sudan you can be a victim of anything - government, terrorism, disease, even wildlife," he said. "There I was always running away. Here I am not."
As for life in the Cornhusker state, Chol said it's proved true to its motto.
"Nebraska is, you know, the good life," he said.
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