Peter Kargbo fled his home during Sierra Leone’s civil war. Today, he’s a soccer star at BU.
One of Peter Kargbo’s earliest memories is clinging to his father’s back while his pregnant mother and older brothers ran alongside them, fleeing ahead of advancing rebels. The Kargbos were among the hundreds of thousands who were forced from their homes during the decade-long civil war that devastated their native Sierra Leone and claimed 50,000 lives.
They traveled with others and stayed with family where they could. After the war ended in 2002, Kargbo and his family returned to their hometown, Makeni, in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. They purchased a piece of land and Kargbo’s mother, Adama, started a farm, growing mangos, avocados, bananas, and other produce. His father, Borboh—a local soccer star before the war—began coaching the town team that he used to play for. Borboh would often bring balls home for his children to kick around and they would play anywhere they could find an open patch of gravel. That’s where Kargbo (’19, COM’21)—“Bobo” to his teammates—began to hone the soccer skills that would later earn him a place at BU.
“When I’m on the field, I’m free,” he says. “I can express myself. I’m happy.”
Even at age 10, Kargbo’s talent stood out. He advanced through nationwide tryouts for a new academy founded in Sierra Leone by Welsh soccer star Craig Bellamy, and was chosen for the initial class of 15 students. He moved three hours from his family to attend the Craig Bellamy Foundation Academy, where he got daily soccer coaching—and a formal education, a major gift in a country that ranks 148th in the world for education spending, according to the CIA. For Kargbo, it led to more opportunity.
At 15, he was selected as a recipient of a high school scholarship established by California native Kelsey Sullivan—who had taught English, social studies, and life skills at the Bellamy Academy—to bring youth from Sierra Leone to the United States. The scholarship, based on soccer and academic potential, gave Kargbo the opportunity to attend four years of high school at Sullivan’s alma mater, the Dunn School, in Los Olivos, California.
“Peter was super shy, but very polite and always a really great student,” Sullivan says. He excelled on the field at Dunn, becoming a three-time all-state selection and leading the Santa Barbara Soccer Club to a 2016 national championship.
His success attracted the attention of college coaches, and several schools offered him scholarships. Kargbo chose BU because of the combination of athletics and academic opportunity. “I definitely wanted a very good education,” he says. “I’m the only one in my family that’s had this opportunity, to go out of my country and to come to a university like this.”
Neil Roberts, Men’s Soccer head coach, was confident Kargbo would fit in at BU, and hasn’t been disappointed. “His aggressiveness defensively is something we like. And his personality—he’s a really special person,” Roberts says. “He’s the first to introduce himself to someone new, he’s always there to talk and smile…. Everyone has bad days, but Peter’s always upbeat.”
Kargbo started every game of his freshman season for BU and was named to the Patriot League All-Conference Third Team. His defensive midfield spot isn’t the most glamorous on the field—he hasn’t scored a college goal—but it’s critical to the team’s success. He often touches the ball more than anyone else on the team, though rarely for long: a second or two is all he needs to change a game, setting up a BU scoring opportunity or breaking up the opposing team’s attack. Often, Kargbo sends the ball soaring across the field to land at a teammate’s waiting foot.
Although he dreams of playing professional soccer—“I love it so much. I have subscriptions to every website that shows soccer”—he’s considering his next academic steps and wants to study advertising at COM. He sees ads everywhere, especially when he’s watching games. “It’s very creative. I want to be a part of that,” he says.
The players on Boston University’s Men’s Soccer team come from all over the world. In this video, listen to Kargbo, and his teammates and coaches, talk about what it’s like to be an international team and how they’ve become a family on and off the field. Video by Bill Politis
Kargbo rarely gets to see his family now, and they have no way of watching him play. When he and Sullivan surprised them with a visit during winter break in 2018, “It was like the hero of the whole town had come home,” Sullivan says. “They were screaming his name. Mom starts crying. There’s just so much joy and happiness in their family.”
Kargbo also stays connected to other recipients of Sullivan’s scholarship who are still at the Dunn School, including seven from Sierra Leone; three have already committed to colleges.
“Peter is a really powerful figure for the younger guys,” Sullivan says. They follow his career, finding time between their own classes, practices, and games to stream his college games. They chat when they can and, when they can’t, Sullivan says, “We have recordings of his laugh—just to listen to him.”