Ludovic Kah was born in a small village in West Africa and lived there until he was 10 years old. In order to escape unjust prosecution from the war-torn country, Ludovic and his family fled to France. He and his family lived in France for only 2 years before they picked up and moved again, this time to San Diego, California. While Ludovic still doesn’t know why he was forced to move the second time, he does remember his family being excited to move to the United States of America. But when they arrived in San Diego, that excitement quickly turned to despair for him.

Ludovic learned that the “American Dream” isn’t as easily attainable as television projected it would be. Both of his parents fell victim to drug abuse and he learned that drugs would be more important to his parents …show more content…
“I had to be a man before I was ready. I’m the resilient man I am now because of my experiences and I’m proud of what I was able to endure,” he shared.

Everything abruptly changed shortly after his 15th birthday when he came home from school one day and his key didn’t work. Peering into the windows, only to see everything inside was completely gone, Ludovice realized his parents had abandoned him. Anxiety turned into terror and over the next 6 months as he found himself sleeping on park benches and contemplated suicide.

Ludovic shared, “I was often alone, confused, angry, and hungry. I didn’t understand what drugs did to people...so I didn’t feel loved by anyone. For a long time I actually thought it was my fault that my parents abandoned me.”

While sleeping on a park bench one unforgettable night, a police officer woke him and him to Child Protective Services, resulting in his placement in Polinsky’s Children Center at 15 years old. He stayed in foster care for the next three years, and although he was in 6 placements over that time period, he was grateful for the roof over his