From Civil War To Michigan Wolverine To Citizen Of The United States

By BRENDAN KRISEL (Patch Staff)

Michigan’s Amara Darboh has plenty of accomplishments on the football field, but Thursday at the United States District Court in Detroit may have been the site of his biggest yet: He became a U.S. citizen.

It meant a lot for Darboh, who had been living in the United States since he was 7 years old, he told Michigan’s official athletic website.

“Being a citizen and being part of a great country is hard to put into words,” said Darboh. “I guess I’m very fortunate. I know where I am from and I’ll never forget my past. But to be a citizen is awesome; it means a lot to me.”

Darboh was born in Sierra Leone, and when he was only a child his family worked to leave the country due to Civil War. They ended up seeking refuge in Gambia and eventually Darboh was able to be sent to Iowa, reported the Detroit Free Press. Darboh was later taken in by by the Schaefer Family in Des Moines, Iowa.

Darboh considers Dan Schaefer like a father, and his son, Max, like a brother.

“The Schaefers are like my second family,” Darboh, told Michigan’s athletic website. “Dan comes to all my games. Max was just here. He’s like my brother and we became real close friends in third grade.

This was the second time Darboh tried for citizenship, the first being when he was graduating high school. However, when he moved to Ann Arbor for College, his paperwork was lost.

But that couldn’t stop him this time, as Darboh passed his citizenship test on Monday. All that was left to do was recite the oath of citizenship.

“I grew up here. I consider myself part American, too. So, for me, this establishes that and completes my final step in me becoming an American,” Darboh said.