Kbudah-Torah Musah ran track in middle school.
But by the time she reached high school at Thurgood Marshall Academy in 2008, the track team no longer existed so she needed something else to do. That’s where StreetSquash came in.
Kbudah-Torah was reserved but eager when showing up to StreetSquash for the first time.
“I was very curious about it, a little nervous, but very intrigued,” Kbudah said.
Kbudah was definitely motivated. Without track, she knew she needed something else to fill the void.
“I was kind of just going home, doing my homework for a little bit, and then watching TV,” Kbudah said. “But no extracurricular activities.”
Looking back on her experience, she’s glad she gave it a chance in high school.
“The interactions I had with people were very memorable,” Kbudah said. “There’s a lot of people who definitely helped shape my experience there.”
In addition to playing squash and getting support, Kbudah offered her guidance to younger students. She had an opportunity to work as a camp counselor in StreetSquash’s Summer Discovery Program, and also assisted middle schoolers with their homework.
Kbudah’s fondest memories were with StreetSquash’s College Access Program. She loved going on trips and seeing college campuses.
“What kid doesn’t like staying in a hotel?” Kbudah recalled excitedly. “And then you get to go on a college campus?”
Kbudah always had aspirations of a post-secondary education. But the guidance from StreetSquash helped her significantly.
“I always knew that I was going to college,” Kbudah said. “But I didn’t know what avenues I needed to explore.”
She added that it was helpful when colleges would come to StreetSquash to talk about their programming. The College Access department also assisted her with building out her resume and putting together her transcript.
“I feel like StreetSquash heavily stressed the importance of college even though I already knew the importance and I was going anyway,” Kbudah said. “StreetSquash made a point of laying out a timeline of things and made everything clear about what we needed to do to prepare for college.”
Kbudah attended Ursinus College which she says she matched with through the College Access program.
“In addition to having someone with me throughout my process, I also had the opportunity to go and visit a lot of different campuses,” Kbudah said. “I was able to have a thought partner when it came to what I was thinking in terms of schools and look at it realistically when it came to tuition.”
Kbudah says she felt StreetSquash gave her an advantage over other seniors who were also preparing for college.
“I felt like I had an ally and had somebody working with me through the process,” Kbudah said. “I saw a lot of kids in our high school get to senior year and they didn’t know what to do, hadn’t visited any colleges, and couldn’t communicate effectively with admissions.”
She majored in East Asian Studies and had a double minor in Chinese and Sociology at Ursinus College. She spent her summers working with StreetSquash’s Summer Discovery program, as well as completing internships.
After graduating college, she spent a year in Americorps doing service in Newark, New Jersey. She then held stints at Success Academy, & Kipp Elementary School in New York before she and her husband moved to Maryland. Kbudah currently works as a third-grade teacher in Washington, D.C.
Kbudah encourages middle schoolers to take a chance on StreetSquash.
“It keeps you active, it keeps you busy, it keeps you grounded,” Kbudah said. “If you want a place where you might have a family outside your family, or where you’d like to have somewhere to hang out, or have someone to talk to, have a place to run around, or be able to travel outside of New York, then StreetSquash is a good fit for you.”
For Kbudah, StreetSquash was definitely a home away from home.
“When I was part of StreetSquash, it became like a second family,” Kbudah said.
