At its annual luncheon, the Bellevue Schools Foundation has a knack for featuring students with inspiring personal stories. This year's story started in Africa.

Sammamish High School senior Solomon Olatunji told a roomful of more than 1,000 lunch guests about his early life as an orphan in Sierra Leone. He escaped the country and came to the United States when he was 15 years old, and at first couldn't comprehend that he could go to school for free.

Olatunji told the crowd that he struggled with academics at Sammamish until he entered the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program, which helped teach him how to take good notes, stay organized and study more efficiently. Olatunji said his grades steadily climbed, and he began taking Advanced Placement classes in a wide range of subjects, including math, the sciences and history.

Earlier this year, Olatunji was accepted to the University of Washington, Western Washington University and Boston College. When he told the crowd that he had accepted a generous scholarship to Boston University, the Meydenbauer Center attendees gave him a standing ovation.

"I am just an average student who was given an opportunity to rise to my full potential," Olatunji said.

The schools foundation luncheon attracts dozens of corporate sponsors, including Microsoft, Boeing, Concur and Paccar, and the foundation raises hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to support Bellevue school programs.

Also at the luncheon, the foundation honored former executive director Sherry Ladd for her years of service.