Philadelphia students return from trip of a lifetime to Ghana: “I felt like my ancestors were speaking to me”

A group of West Philadelphia students is back home after what school leaders call a trip of a lifetime.

Scholars from Global Leadership Academy recently returned from Ghana, where they spent more than a week learning about culture, history, and connection.

When the bus pulled in Sunday, parents were waiting with cameras out and arms open, ready to welcome their children home after a journey thousands of miles away from West Philadelphia.

But school leaders say the biggest takeaway was not what students packed in their suitcases — it was the memories and lessons they brought back with them.

“It was a special welcome,” said Dr. Naomi Johnson-Booker, who created the trip to expose students to a world beyond their neighborhood.

“Each year that we travel with all the scholars and I go on these trips, I am so empowered by them,” Booker said.

During the trip, students visited Ghana International School, in the country’s capital city, Accra, where many said they formed instant bonds with students there.

For many seventh and eighth graders, it was their first time traveling outside the country.

They also visited the “Last Bath,” a site tied to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, where captured Africans were forced to wash before being taken to the coastal slave castles.

For some students, that stop was especially emotional.

“The moment I stepped my feet into the water, I felt like my ancestors were speaking to me, and telling me their story and what they had to go through,” one student said.

Students said the journey also gave them a deeper appreciation for home, family, and everyday blessings.

“Grateful for things my parents give me like shoes or other clothing,” another student said, reflecting on what the experience taught her.

Along the way, the students built new friendships, learned from local communities, and came home with memories that school leaders say will stay with them for years.

And according to Booker, the learning does not stop here.

School leaders say fundraising is already underway for next year’s trip. Up next, sixth graders will head to Atlanta in a few weeks for a civil rights tour.