LEWISTON – Her father was blinded by a bullet, and her brother was shot in the leg. Life in Somalia was not good for Khadra Jama.

That’s why she’s studying hard to earn a degree in leadership and organizational studies at Lewiston-Auburn College.

Jama, 22, of Lewiston, plans to graduate in 2008, go to graduate school and work to improve life in Africa. Through groups such as Transparency International, she hopes to hold African governments more accountable and help reduce poverty.

“Having come from very little, it’s heartbreaking to know there are people who had less than I did,” she said.

Jama was born in Somalia, where she lived until she was 12. Her family fled to Kenya after civil war broke out and her father and brother were wounded. Because an older sister living in California sent them money, they didn’t have to live in a refugee camp and worry about enough food or shelter. They were luckier than most.

In Kenya, Jama learned to speak Swahili and English, but she did not attend a formal school. “You had to pay to go to school.”

Her family moved to California, but housing was a problem because they had 11 people in their family. She and one brother decided to move to Lewiston where work and housing would be easier to find.

After arriving here, a relative told them they needed to go to the Lewiston Adult Education center. “I met with (counselor) Anne Kemper. I took the tests and did pretty well.”

Jama got her GED and passed a language proficiency test before enrolling in college in the spring 2005.

Today she shares a downtown apartment with her brother, who also works and goes to college.

She works at L-A College as a computer lab assistant and as coordinator of the International Student Organization, which holds weekly forums with student speakers. Seasonal work at L.L. Bean’s Lewiston call center is how she saved for her first car, a Ford Taurus.

Two part-time jobs, plus college, meant she was always tired. “But I was excited,” she said. “I got my first car, and I’m only 22!”

She feels lucky.

“My life is amazing. I’m very thankful for the experiences I’ve had in Lewiston, especially with the L-A College, the community and employers like L.L. Bean.”

Her background taught her to value education, she said.

In the United States, a lot of things like education are rights. “In Africa, a lot of things are privileges,” she said.