On April 15 author, activist and former boy soldier, Ishmael Beah came to East Aurora High School to speak about his book, “A Long Way Gone.”

East Aurora students Yessica Puga, Kendall McCarter and Alex Garcia wanted to experience the walk to freedom that Ishmael endured while escaping from the Rebel army in West Africa, walking a total of 37.5 miles. With the help of their teacher Shane Gillespie and many other staff members, the students walked from East Aurora to Soldier Field, a distance of 37.5 miles.

“I started to prepare for the walk by going to the gym and running on the treadmill,” Garcia said. “Nothing could have ever prepared me for this walk and to think we had food, shoes and water, luxuries that weren’t available at times for Ishmael, made me so grateful.”

Beah was born in Sierra Leone in 1980. At age 12, he found himself running from rebel soldiers, stuck in a world of violence. A year later, he was taken in by the government military to soon be a trained killer. When he was 16, Beah was recued by UNICEF receiving therapy and help to recapture his humanity.

Beah had many devastating experiences many of which he cannot erase.

“Drug use was very common within the military,” Beah said. “It resulted in intensive therapy when I was with UNICEF. I still have visions and flashbacks and those are hard to remove.”

After receiving therapy, he was sent back to the capital city to live with his only living relative left, his uncle. Violence followed him and made its way to the capital city. The military killed his uncle.

“I was very lucky to have escaped like I did,” Beah said. “When I came back to the states with UNICEF they gave me a student Visa, making my escape a lot faster.

Things were still challenging, though. Beah spent many nights without shelter or food. After making it safely to the United States, he was adopted. His mother went door to door with him trying to get him into a high school. He finished his last two years at the United Nations International School in New York and, after graduating from Oberlin College in 2004, he became a member of the Human Rights Watch Children’s Rights Division Advisory Committee. The Ishmael Beah foundation helps former child soldiers integrate into society. He now travels all over the world speaking out against violence.

“It is important for children know the reality of violence,” Beah said. “It is glorified and thought of as ‘cool’  in today’s society. I want to inform them of the reality and how it affects your life forever by sharing my experiences.”