Coming from the tribe Anuak in Ethiopia Africa, senior Bakange Ajak and her family use their voices to give thanks to God. Forming a choir that is based on traditional African singing, they sing the songs that mean the most to them: Gospel.

With drummers and 13 women strong, they sing on Sundays at Calvary Church in Roseville in the traditional African language.

“As a tribe, we are really passionate about God and we are really thankful for the things he has done for us,” Ajak said. “We are a Christian group, we sing a lot of gospel songs, just songs praising the Lord. It is just to show our appreciation through music to God.”

Both of Bakange’s parents play a major role in the choir, since her mother is the lead coordinator and her father is one of the drummers and also the Pastor. Practicing Sunday nights and performing on Sundays, the choir also performs at funerals.

“We have sung at a couple funerals, but because they are almost all upbeat songs, it always makes the person dying like a celebration that they are going to heaven,” Ajak said.

The choir performs at many church services and events, but refrains from anything else since their main goal is to praise God. The whole goal is to reach people through music and they think they can do that best if it is gospel.

“I love music,” said Ajak, “but it is not something I think I will carry into college. I would like to focus on my goal of becoming a human rights lawyer.”

Despite her passion for music, her passion for human rights wins over. She was an avid participant in the Dressember movement, which is meant to raise awareness and ultimately help victims of human trafficking.

However, it is safe to assume music will always be with her and that the choir will go on, since they are both driven through a passion for God.

“The choir has always been a thing and has carried over from our village in Africa when my parents first moved to the United States. When they moved here they decided to carry on something that made them feel at home, which was the choir,” Ajak said.