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Ernest Bawa landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport in September 2016 on a flight from Kotoka, Ghana. All he had was a backpack. In it were some clothes, soccer cleats and a faulty phone due to its Ghanaian sim card. Nothing else.

It was Bawa’s first time in the United States. He’d been given the chance to play for Taft Boarding School (Connecticut) following four years at Right to Dream Academy — a soccer program for underprivileged kids in Ghana. His first task: find his driver in the airport lobby.

Confused where to go, Bawa nervously paced the baggage claim area looking for someone holding a sign with his name. Eventually, Bawa found his driver, the director of RDA USA, and made his way to the car.

During the hour-long ride to an apartment in Rye, New York, Bawa’s head remained tilted upward as he peered out the window. Fascinated by New York City’s skyscrapers, his eyes remained peeled. He knew his life would never be the same.

“That was a first ‘wow’ moment for me,” Bawa said.

The car ride began Bawa’s nine-year and counting journey in the U.S. His soccer career began playing on dirt roads without cleats in Ghana. It evolved into playing at Taft, where he became its all-time leading scorer. It led Bawa to the University of North Carolina, where he played from 2020-23 before transferring to Syracuse for his final year of eligibility as a graduate student in 2024.

The morning after Bawa arrived in New York, he was taken to Taft’s campus in Watertown, Connecticut. Unfamiliar with American geography, Bawa thought of going to school as a 15-minute drive. Instead, a nearly two-hour drive ensued. Bawa joked he “thought he was driving back to Ghana.”

The culture shock didn’t stop when he arrived on Taft’s campus. Luxury cars lined the streets. Bawa wandered around before finding Ozzie Parente, Taft’s head soccer coach. Bawa recognized him from photos he saw online and introduced himself. Parente then helped Bawa settle into his dorm.

It wasn’t long before Bawa’s roommate, Nick Baird, arrived. Nick — whose two siblings, Noah and Karalyn Baird, also went to Taft — was prepared with numerous duffle bags of clothing. Bawa sat at his desk and watched them haul living essentials into the room.

Nick’s mother, Karen Baird, turned her attention to Bawa. She peered at his closet with a few shirts hung up. His soccer cleats sat on the floor. A pair of socks dangled in the window. He didn’t even have a dress shirt, a requirement of Taft’s school uniform.

“I took one look at this kid and said, ‘Somehow, some way, we need to take care of him,’” Karen said of Bawa.

Karen started pulling out clothes, notebooks and anything else Bawa needed. The generosity was something Bawa never experienced before.

Before his time with RDA, Bawa struggled to find three meals a day. His father died when he was 3, forcing him to live with his uncle, Sammed Bawa, in Accra — Ghana’s capital.

Ernest Bawa played for The Taft School, a boarding school in Connecticut after coming to America from Ghana in 2016. Courtesy of Karen Baird

Sammed emphasized education. Though at times, Bawa had other plans. He was fascinated by soccer from age 4. Bawa’s older siblings, Mustafa and Hawa, played, but both eventually stopped so they could financially support themselves and their mother, Adia Ibrahim.

Bawa was different.

He often jumped Sammed’s backyard fence to play. All Bawa needed was a group of kids, four stones to act as goalposts and a ball formed from a bunch of socks rolled together.

Occasionally, Bawa and the group paused to watch planes fly overhead. Bawa dreamed that one day he’d be flying to Europe for soccer. That seemed distant until Bawa was 11. At the time, he was playing for Parma FC, a local team, when his coach revealed that RDA was coming to hold tryouts.

RDA was well-known for producing professional talent in Europe, including English Premier League star Mohammed Kudus. Additionally, it sent numerous kids to play in the U.S. for high school. RDA held tryouts in various parts of Ghana throughout the year.

The day of the tryout, Bawa used his normal escape route. This time, he walked an hour-and-a-half to the tryout location. In the end, Bawa was among seven -of 300 players selected for another tryout.

Bawa embarked on another journey in the next week, commuting 90 minutes via bus to the second tryout. After another rigorous session, he’d been selected to go on trial with RDA.

Thinking the trial would only last about a week, Bawa didn’t tell Sammed about his plans to stay in Old Akrande at RDA’s headquarters. Quickly, he realized the trial would be longer than he initially anticipated. He called Sammed to explain what he’d done and was met with anger. Sammed was enraged Bawa ran away, but he let him be at the time.

Sammed had enough three months later, telling Bawa he was coming to get him. Not knowing what to do, Bawa talked with RDA representatives to explain his situation. Bawa was offered a scholarship to stay with the academy. When a furious Sammed arrived, Bawa gave him the rundown to diffuse the situation. He convinced him enough to let him stay to pursue a soccer career.

“It was very surreal for me, that I was actually living the life that I wanted,” Bawa said.

The environment was extremely competitive and the skill level was high, according to fellow RDA graduate and now Notre Dame attacker KK Baffour. Players spent nine months of the year playing at the academy, sometimes going to Europe for tournaments.

Bawa had a choice to make at 15, four years later. He could spend a few more years in the academy and try to get signed by a European team. Or, he could go to high school in America and pursue a college career. Bawa chose the latter. He left everything behind and took an 11-hour flight.

“(There was just) so much freedom. And (with) that came with a lot of opportunity,” Bawa said.

One of the first people Bawa met in America was Nick. It was awkward between the roommates at first. Similarities were few and far between the pair who grew up nearly 6,000 miles apart. Bawa and Nick connected over time, but Bawa remained mostly reserved.

It was hard to get Bawa to show emotion. The first few times Nick and his family offered to take him to dinner, he politely denied.

Ernest Bawa pictured with his family on a trip to Ghana. Bawa left his home country in 2016 to pursue a soccer career in the United States.Courtesy of Karen Baird

A breakthrough came when Karen came to visit late in the fall when Bawa was a freshman. She remembers Bawa being very emotional following a tough loss. He came to greet Karen postgame and melted into her arms, saying “I’m sorry.”

“I just looked at my husband over (Bawa’s) shoulder, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, he’s finally being emotional,’” Karen said.

From there, the Bairds took care of Bawa. He came home with Nick to Johnsburg, Illinois, during winter break. When they landed, Bawa didn’t have a winter jacket because it hadn’t gotten cold in Connecticut yet. When he stepped out of O’Hare International Airport, Nick said Bawa returned inside due to the frigid conditions.

That kickstarted Bawa’s first few weeks of spending time with the entire Baird family. Karen said her three kids were all close in age with Bawa and tried to connect with him. He remained shy initially but as time passed, he grew more comfortable.

The highlight of the trip came on Christmas morning. Nick’s father, Nolan Baird, bought an international calling card so Bawa could contact Ibrahim in Ghana. The family huddled around as Bawa called Ibrahim, who answered. She didn’t speak any English, but Bawa translated everything she said. Nick said Ibrahim expressed gratitude toward his family for taking care of Bawa while everybody sobbed.

The card couldn’t have been more than $25 or $50. Though the monetary value meant little in the grand scheme.

“Being in that moment and being able to bridge that gap, connect across the planet kind of puts you there,” Nick said. “You’re thinking, ‘Oh my god, he hasn’t talked to his mom in so long,’ I’ve been taking that for granted every week that I call my mom.”

That Christmas morning marked a turning point for Bawa. When spring break came, he returned to Johnsburg. His comfort level with the Bairds continued to rise and their relationship blossomed.

Just before Bawa was set to return to Taft, Karen asked him what his summer plans were. Bawa didn’t give a direct answer at first. It wasn’t until she checked his room after he left that she got one. Bawa left a note on his pillow.

It read, “Thank you, I look forward to spending the summer with you.”

As Bawa approached his sophomore year, he knew he had people to rely on. At the same time, he broke out with Taft as a freshman playing out of position. Typically a skillful attacker, Parente stuck him at center back initially due to an upper-classmen heavy front line.

Bawa grew frustrated at points, but Parente emphasized that he wasn’t going to be perfect from day one.

“He was hungry for success and wanted it to happen quickly,” Parente said.

Ernest Bawa (right) stands alongside his mother Adia Ibrahim (center) and Karen Baird (left) during a trip to Ghana in 2022. Courtesy of Karen Baird

In his second season with Taft, Bawa became a dynamic winger who tormented defenders with his speed. Parente knew from the first practice that Bawa would be a Division I player. Offers came flying in from top teams around the country before he chose North Carolina as a junior in 2019.

After his commitment, Bawa endured one of his toughest moments since moving to America. He was living with Diky Izmirlian, a fellow international student from the Bahamas, when another student wrote racist remarks on the whiteboard attached to their dorm-room door.

The Head of School held an emergency meeting with over 600 people in the auditorium. Students sat in alphabetical order by last name, meaning Nick and Bawa were a couple seats away from each other. Bawa got up and walked out, so Nick decided to follow him.

He caught up with Bawa in the hallway. Nick discussed the situation along with Parente, trying to console Bawa, who insisted on returning to the auditorium. With the Head of School, William MacMullen, still speaking, Bawa walked to the front of the stage. As Bawa approached, MacMullen stopped talking.

Bawa delivered a powerful speech detailing his background. He said he wasn’t going to stop what he was doing because the incident was born out of hatred. When Bawa was done, he walked out of the room with his head held high.

“It was a unifying speech, which I don’t think he would have been capable of freshman year,” Izmirlian said. “He really became more comfortable and very much a leader in the community.”

It was a moment for Bawa to be proud of his roots. Later that year, he returned to Ghana for the first time. Because of his success, Bawa’s family is well-respected and when he comes to visit, the whole neighborhood knows.

Nine years after stepping foot in America, Bawa remains connected with his family. He got Mustafa an iPhone a few years ago and frequently talks to him over FaceTime. He also speaks with his mom, albeit less due to poor cell service in her village.

Bawa sends them money when he can. Sometimes it’s $20, other times it’s $100. Whatever it is makes a difference.

Though Bawa living in the United States may be the biggest help of all.

“Being in America is one less mouth to feed for my family back home in Ghana,” Bawa said.

Published on September 12, 2024 at 12:21 am

Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22