Stephen F. Austin State University

A Stephen F. Austin State University student was named one of the 20 teens who will change the world by "Teen People" magazine recently. Given Kachepa, a 19-year-old former human trafficking victim and Colleyville freshman, will be honored along with 19 other teenagers in the April edition of "Teen People", which is on sale now. Others on the list of 20 teens who will change the world include Malcolm David Kelley, one of the stars of the TV show "Lost," Mackenzie Rosman, who stars on the TV show "7th Heaven," Britney Spear's younger sister Jamie Lynn Spears and Cody DeWitt, an anti-smoking activist who made a documentary about his mother, who was diagnosed with lung cancer.

In recognition of their achievements and to support these teens in their future endeavors, L’Oréal Paris will award each of the 20 Teens a $1,000 scholarship and they will be honored at a special Awards luncheon in March in New York City.

Kachepa spoke recently at SFA about his experience being a slave. Given was orphaned at age 9 and brought to the US at age 11. He traveled to raise money for Zambian schools, his siblings, a salary and education. He performed between four and seven concerts a day, but no money was going to him or his family and no schools were being built for his education. He became a victim of modern slavery. Kachepa was promised an American education, the construction of Zambian schools and money for himself and his family for food and life necessities in exchange for his performance in a Zambian singing troop.

He came to the United States hoping to better his life, but instead he received none of these things and became a victim of human trafficking. Kachepa came to the United States with other Zambian singers and was distraught when he realized what would actually take place.

"I was really excited about helping out my community, my country and, most important, my family," Kachepa said. "But I didn't know that I was becoming a part of a scheme to raise a lot of money, to do concerts, (receive) love offerings and sell CDs."

Kachepa said his choir and he were forced to perform four to seven concerts a day and remain happy and cheerful even when they were tired.

He said their owners would use Bible scriptures about obeying and following rules to regulate the choir members' actions. They used intimidation and told the members that no one wanted to help people like them. They never used physical abuse, but the owners did force the members to hand-dig a swimming pool in July in Dallas.

"I felt hopeless, and I thought I was a crushed individual" Kachepa said. "I felt humiliated like I had nobody to turn to. I felt like a puppet on a string being moved around." Nine months after being brought to America, Kachepa's owners wished to deport two of the boys because of their behavior. The boys were not informed of their wrong doings and were given no chance to correct their mistakes. They said their parents had been informed and airplane tickets had been ordered.

As a choir, Kachepa and the other members demanded that everyone be deported if that were the case.

"This was the only way we stayed together," he said. "We knew the ministry would be reluctant in sending everyone home because our services where their only way for income."

The owners called the police, who insisted the matter was an immigration problem and contacted Immigration and Naturalization Services. An INS agent arrived and handcuffed the two boys to take them to the airport. On the way to the airport, the two boys opened up and told everything about the ministry and the human trafficking that was taking place. The INS soon rescued Kachepa and the other choir members.