She was 6 years old when she learned they’d be moving. 

Until then, senior Kizzy Debarah had lived in Ghana her entire life. She had always wanted to live in the United States — the land she believed dreams were made of. She and her mother packed up their belongings to live with Kizzy’s new stepdad in Los Angeles. 

Kizzy fell in love with dancing once moving to the U.S. She attended dance classes at the studio across the street, learning ballet, tap and hip-hop. Dance became her passion — her therapy. 

Two years later, Kizzy moved to Minnesota —- the place she considers her true home and the real place she grew up. Kizzy lived there for the next five years, adding acting to the list of her passions. She acted in plays and continued to dance. Around the same time, Kizzy began to think of ways to make substantial income when she was older, and turned to coding. 

Teaching herself at 12, she learned to code through courses online, along with trial and error. It was another thing she fell in love with, both something interesting and something that could support her dream of traveling when she got older. 

In early November of 2021, Kizzy landed her first acting job as one of three kids in a parenting kids with anxiety course. She said it was her favorite day ever, as she got to learn from those with the same passion she had. 

In 2022, her sophomore year of high school, she moved to Texas. Like the previous times she moved, Kizzy was ecstatic. Minnesota had her friends and memories, but the acting opportunities in Texas were exactly what she dreamed of. Besides, traveling was what she loved. It was the one thing she could never get tired of. 

Kizzy continued to act and code outside of school, along with joining the Anybody Can Dance club. At the beginning of last year, she dislocated her knee and was unable to act until this school year began. Just as it had been when she first moved to the U.S., dance was her therapy. She worked to regain strength and performed in the last pep rally of the year on Feb. 29 — her favorite moment at Hebron. 

Though she has many passions, Kizzy said they all give way to the same thing: traveling. She’s currently studying French and hopes to be fluent in it one day; that way, she can live in a French-speaking country. Paris is her dream destination, and, through all the passions she’s found in her life, Kizzy said she knows she’ll make it there one day.