A powerful story of survival and determination has touched hearts across Spain and the Canary Islands, drawing widespread admiration.
Jean Paul Ndongo, once a child migrant rescued by the Guardia Civil, has officially joined their ranks nearly two decades later.
Jean Paul, who is now 21 and originally from Cameroon, arrived in Fuerteventura in 2006 at the age of 11 after a dangerous sea journey aboard a patera (a small wooden boat).
After walking for days to reach Senegal, he managed to board a vessel departing from Mauritania along with 66 others, all in search of a better future in Europe. But the boat capsized before reaching land, and with no ability to swim, Jean Paul believed he would die at sea.
That moment became a turning point in his life. He was rescued by officers from the Guardia Civil, a memory he still refers to with deep emotion, calling them his “guardian angels.” Now, almost 20 years later, Jean Paul has completed his training at the Guardia Civil Academy in Baeza, Jaén, joining the very force that once saved him.
Yesterday, Tuesday, he was one of 2,495 new graduates from the academy. As he proudly took his place among Spain’s newest recruits, Jean Paul reflected on the journey that brought him there, a journey that began in hardship but ended in honour.
His academic path has also been one of perseverance. He is just one module away from earning his degree in English Philology from the UNED (Spain’s National Distance Education University), through the Úbeda campus. The university itself has hailed Jean Paul’s achievement as an example of how education can reach people in all walks of life, no matter their background or circumstances.
After being transferred to Spain in 2010 and facing multiple challenges, Jean Paul completed his secondary education and university entrance exams. While working for an industrial supply company in Linares, where he still lives, he continued to study and build a new life.
Now, in his own words, he feels he’s been given the chance to give back to the same organisation that gave him his second chance at life, and perhaps, one day, he’ll be the one saving someone else.
