Thiel College students got a lesson in opportunity Wednesday night from political activist and former NBA player Manute Bol.

Bol, who is 7 feet 7 inches tall, spoke to a packed room at the Howard Miller Student Center about his improbable journey from raising cows in his native Sudanese village to raising awareness about his war-torn country, with an 11-year National Basketball Association career in between.

Beginning in 1991, Bol began donating millions of dollars toward establishing peace in Sudan, where Southern Sudanese Christians have been embroiled in a civil war for years against Muslim fundamentalists in the North.

"You guys don't know how great America is," Bol told the audience. "Africa is a rich land, but people don't get opportunities to get an education, to play ball or get a job."