He may not know his birthday and he hasn’t seen his parents for 21 years, but he does know what it’s like to endure and escape 19 years of civil war, and he knows what he wants to do when he earns his accounting degree at Arkansas State U.

Born sometime in 1981, Mayol Bol grew up in a small Dinka village called Bortown located in South Sudan. He lived peacefully for six years with his parents, four sisters and one brother.

The second wave of civil war was in full force between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Sudanese Government in southern Sudan. In 1983, the government issued a mass killing of the Dinka people.

By this point, more than 500,000 people had already been killed.

In 1987, six-year-old Mayol was tending cattle away from his village when Sudanese government forces stormed his village with heavy guns, backed by war planes. Many were killed and some were taken hostage, including his parents. The rest were forced to take refuge in the unforgiving wilderness.

After the attack, his village was burned. Nothing and no one was left for Mayol and the other boys tending cattle to go home to.

“We didn’t know what to do, so we just started walking. I remember looking back at where my village was, wondering if my mom and dad were alive or not and if I would ever see them again,” he said.

The boys walked from village to village only to see they had all been burned and abandoned. Luckily there were some elders among the group, but the number of children drastically outnumbered them.

“We didn’t know where to go. We just started following some elders. Eventually we were joined by thousands of other boys who lost their families too.”

After a three-month barefoot hike to flee Sudanese government soldiers, they made it to the Gilo River, which separates Ethiopia from Sudan.

While crossing the river at night, he witnessed several friends being eaten by crocodiles and lions. Hundreds more died of starvation and disease after they crossed into Ethiopia.

Fighting simply to stay alive, he finally made it to refugee camps in Ethiopia.

He remained there for four years still unaware of the whereabouts of his family, if they were even alive.

In 1991 civil war broke out in Ethiopia, and again, he was forced to flee gunfire and bloodshed.

“Because Ethiopia had there own chaos, we set out on foot again, following the elders.

There were about two elders to every 500 children.”

They finally made it to Kenya, where they were taken into a refugee camp set up by a Catholic charity and the United Nations. Mayol remained at camp Kakuma for nine years where he received an education.

In 2001, he was selected along with over 3,500 other young men to come to the United States to start a new life.

“Only the lucky ones made it to the U.S., the rest are still there and still trying to survive a broken country,” he said.

He ended up in Memphis, Tenn. in 2002 with six other “lost boys”. The U.S. government provided him with an apartment, clothes and food. It was there he earned his GED.

The owner of Arkansas Glass Container Corporation heard about his story and offered him a job in Jonesboro in 2004.

He has been in Jonesboro ever since and said he is more than thankful for the opportunity America provided him with, but he can never forget the journey that led him here.

“I will never get the smell of human blood and the image of dead bodies everywhere out of my head. My country has been devastated by war for more than 30 years and now it’s Darfur that is suffering like we did.”

Mayol is now a junior accounting major at Arkansas State University. He plans on serving the public by establishing his own business by investing in corporate business.

Helping others affected by war is the theme he has set for his future business.

“It has always been my idea, after my business is established, to go back and help the people of Sudan, especially Darfur where thousands more are being killed and displaced.”

The UN located his family a few years ago and they are still scattered.

His mom, brother and sisters are in Australia and his dad in Sudan.

A smile lightened Mayol’s face and tears filled his eyes as he talked about the day he will see his mom for the first time in 21 years.

“I’m going to Australia this summer to finally see my mom. I have a brother I don’t even know and he will be there too. Everyone but my dad will be reunited this summer.”

Mayol lives with two other men who survived the journey along side him.

He works part-time for Arkansas Glass Corporation and part-time at a Sudanese owned beauty supply store.

He is paying his way through college and sends money to Sudan and Australia every chance he gets to help support his family.

He said ASU has opened up many doors for him and he is thankful for the new chance at life that America has offered him.

“My principle is that if I got help, then why can’t I help others?”