Meet the Team – Christina Degbo

“I was in all the geeky academic teams and doing great. I was going to be a lawyer”

Even as a child, Christina Degbo always knew she wanted to be a lawyer. She studied hard at school, she was in all AP classes, made the debate team, had perfect attendance, made the honor roll, she was going to achieve her goal.

“I was in all the geeky academic teams and doing great. I was going to be a lawyer” she recalls “but then at 18 I was waitlisted at my first choice university and I was devastated because I didn’t get my place. Back then, to the 18-year-old me, well, it rocked my world”.

The next two teachers Christina spoke to changed her whole life trajectory.

“I was in tears when I went to my academic decathlon teacher” she explains, “but her response was ‘well some students don’t deserve to go to college’. I was shocked and so hurt, did she really mean me? I sucked those tears back in and left.”

Christina went across the hall to her Government teacher. She took a different view.

“You are going into a world where not everyone wants what’s best for you. You will have to fight for yourself and know that you are worth fighting for”.

That day was the day Christina decided she would be an educator, not a lawyer. “I want every student to have a teacher on campus who will support them, encourage and value them”.

Fast forward and by 2023, Christina had been an educator for a decade: as a special education specialist, a teacher and founding principal of a charter high school in Sharpestown, Houston. There she saw a broad spectrum of kids.

“I had students who had dropped out of high school and were returning to Grade 12 in their 20s, I had troubled kids from unstable backgrounds right here in Houston, and refugees escaping from chaotic homelands.”

When the role to lead the Amaanah Education Program opened up, Christina knew it was her next step. She has been managing Amaanah’s Education programs since January 2024.

“Teach360 provides support in schools for refugees, to help them get back on track, and give them the skills they need and deserve. When they succeed in school, they are far more likely to thrive in life – many of these kids carry the burden of supporting a parent and siblings too, it’s not just themselves they are saving.”

“I’m an organizer, so I dived right in. I got to know the tutors, the children, the schools – it’s been so rewarding.”

Then a staffing change at Amaanah opened up an additional opportunity.

“We were heading into the summer when the school demands ease off. I was able to add the Women’s Empowerment program to my portfolio”.

“The WE program supports refugee women through direct interactions. I make home visits that expose the stark realities faced by many .”

“Oftentimes the room where I first speak with the family looks okay. There’s two chairs, maybe a covered box that functions as a table. But behind the façade life is tougher. I had one family who had pulled a mattress out of a dumpster, it was stained and gross but it was better than the floor. A mom, dad and child were sharing it every night.”

The emotional weight of these visits is often profound, but Christina and the Amaanah team make a huge impact to families.

“We assess the needs, and once approved, I can arrange a home transformation that’ll provide a proper bed and bunk beds for the children, a sofa, some pots and pans, and other essentials”.

Christina finds huge fulfillment in seeing her client families transition from existing in a bare empty apartment to having a semblance of stability and hope.

“Our clients are here because they cannot be where they are from. They have had to abandon good jobs, their homes, leaving friends and family behind. Through Amaanah we can help them regain some dignity and hope for the future.’