LAKE FOREST – He made the phone call late at night, when the sound of the generators died and the African village went dark.

“Hi, Dad,” Ian Kung said into the cell phone, the connection clear despite the 9,400 miles that separated Ian, in Rwanda, from his father, in Laguna Niguel.

The 17-year-old was going out on a limb – way out.

While on a church mission with his mother, he came to a monumental decision.

Gary Kung had spent $5,000 for his son to attend a science and physics course for gifted high school students at Harvard University.

While the eight-week class did not guarantee Ian’s getting into his dream school, the teenager knew it was a huge deal.

Now, he wanted out.

“Dad,” Ian said. “You’re going to have to trust me on this.”

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Contact the writer: 949-454-7356 or ghardesty@ocregister.com