Innovation High School: Nazo Campbell finds true friends, caring teachers at school

Innovation High School student Nazo Campbell said he has two mothers to thank for getting him to where he is today.

The first is his birth mother who put him in an orphanage in his native Johannesburg, South Africa, shortly before her death when Campbell was 6 years old. The second is his adoptive mother who brought him to Spokane.

“A lot of people need to understand that without the people in our lives, we wouldn’t be who we are,” he said.

Thanks to those two mothers, Campbell has grown into someone Innovation counselor Jesse Dhillon said was a positive part of the school community from the moment he stepped into the building.

“He came in with a big smile on his face, positive attitude, ready to jump right in and be a part of the school,” he said.

Campbell transferred to Innovation for his junior year. He liked it right away because it was smaller, both in number of students and the size of the building, than his previous school. He also likes the atypical classes the school offers.

Band, for instance, doesn’t just include the expected groups like brass and woodwinds. At Innovation, students can play instruments like the guitar, bass and ukulele. Campbell is a ukulele player, following in the footsteps of his sister.

“Since I was young, I’ve loved listening to music and dancing to it or playing it,” he said. “Music makes me happy. It also makes me have fun. It’s a good way to have fun and dance to it. Also when I play the ukulele, I can express myself through those words on a ukulele.”

At his previous school, Campbell said it was hard to tell who he was and who his good friends were. He got into trouble for being late to class or not doing his work because he was hanging with the wrong group.

Once he enrolled in Innovation, he quickly found friends who told him “Hey, bro, make sure you get to class on time.” The teachers were also good about checking in on his progress on a project, being patient with him and being gracious with extensions when he needed them.

“Everybody needs someone in their life that helps them with something, whether it’s schoolwork or job work or life work, you need that person in your life to help you out,” he said. “For me, it was the teachers at Innovation.”

Outside of school, Campbell enjoys Minecraft and Fortnite and likes to play basketball.

Unsurprisingly then, one of his favorite things about Spokane is Hoopfest. This year will mark his second year playing on a team.

After graduation, Campbell plans to become a barber, inspired by his barber and longtime friend Big Mike who works at Headhunters and who gave Campbell his first haircut in America. Campbell thought about how much Big Mike loves his job and all the people he gets to speak with everyday and thought he wanted to follow in those footsteps.

“I realized barbering is a great job to help people get a fresh look whether you’re going to a new school or going to a job,” he said. “That’s good, but also barbering is a way to connect with people and make them feel good. They can be impactful.”