BOSTON -- Every two weeks, NewsCenter 5 presents a high school senior who has taken the lessons of the classroom and applied them to life.

This week's A Plus student is New Mission High School’s Michael Wogbeh.

Meet Tonight's A Plus Student

NewsCenter 5's Shiba Russell reported that Michael dared to dream even when life was a nightmare. To make sense of the senseless things he has experienced, Michael uses spoken word poetry as both his passion and outlet.

“Life for me growing up has been more like a living hell. That's how I call it, a living hell because I was born into 14 years of civil war,” Michael said.

Born in the African country of Liberia, Michael’s childhood was chaotic. His family was forced to take refuge in neighboring Cote D'Ivoire, but they still weren’t safe. His mother then made a heartbreaking decision to leave her children in hopes of finding a better life for them.

“It was like roughly close to 10 years that we went without both parents. My situation was not a good one because you’re staying in a war zone,” Michael related. “You got to see dead people. Sometimes we went a couple of days without eating, and it was just really, really, really rough. At that age, 8 and 9 years old, it was just too much on me. But still I knew that with God’s help, I could reach my dream someday.”

Four years ago, Michael reunited with his mother in Boston. However, life in the United States presented its own challenges.

“Just because of the cultural differences, he was made fun of quite a lot,” Math teacher Sharifa Garcia said. “But as the kids got to know him, they realized he's actually a great person.”

Michael is also a major part of his school's community. Currently, he’s a member of his high school’s National Honor Society, Student Council, and soccer and track teams.

“He's a hard worker. Michael is one of the kids who is always here,” English teacher Chris Hill said. “He sort of comes with the building. He's here in the morning. He's here in the afternoon. He's constantly revising his work.”

“I know with my head on my shoulder and [if] I stay focused, I can be anything I want to be,” said Michael.

He wants to be a doctor.

“I really want to help young ones who are growing up in my situation or in a different situation,” Michael said. “I just want to give it all I can to help people who are in need of it.”

If you know a special student who truly makes a difference in his or her classroom, e-mail us your nomination. Please include your phone number.