Youth panelist credits sports and community support with helping him prepare for college

Wakati Makonga, who arrived in Missoula as a child, told the audience that language barriers and cold weather were early surprises but that sports and local friendships helped him integrate and prepare for higher education.

In the audience Q&A and film excerpts he described playing pickup soccer as a way to make friends: "Soccer is a big sport and that just kind of it helps people like connect," he said. He also said he recently graduated high school and planned to attend the University of Montana, crediting local families who offered shelter and support when his family first arrived.

Wakati described adapting to winter sports, noting that friends taught him to ski, and stressed the role of mentors and hosts in helping newcomers feel settled. His account highlighted practical supports—driving help, friendship networks, and small acts of hospitality—that community members and non-profits provided.