Wells Mountain Foundation

Exciting news! The new scholarship students, set to start September 2009, have been selected, and they are truly a promising group of students. We are particularly thrilled by how our program has grown in size and reach. Notably, four of our students will be studying in Uganda, marking the first time we’ll be empowering students in East Africa. To highlight another change from previous years, four of this year’s students study at the Bergen Community College in Paramus, NJ. Please join me in welcoming all these incredibly special students into the WMF family.

Studying at Kampala International University in Uganda…

Wilson Steeve Mwanja

Country: Uganda

Field: Medicine

Wilson Mwanja has volunteered as a Clinical Officer at a non-governmental health care services center responding to the challenges of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Uganda. Among his responsibilities was providing counseling and clinical services to persons infected by HIV/AIDS and their family members and others affected.

Wilson grew up in rural Uganda, his mother having never gone to school. He will be the first of his family, including 4 siblings, to attain a university degree. His intention is focused and determined: “My desire to serve as a professional health care worker begun at an early age when I started seeing children that die before their first day or shortly after, become permanently disabled from child preventable diseases…, and later on the scourge of HIV/AIDS….”

He is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Medicine and Surgery.

Juuko Abdu

Country: Uganda

Field: Medicine

Juuko Abdu, also a native of Uganda, just completing his first full year of study in medicine. His father is deceased and he is the eldest child. “I had to find a way forward to help my young ones also to finish their studies,” he says. He continues to hold a part-time job in computer services while in school.

Nonetheless, he finds time to volunteer: “I am a kind of person who loves to help the needy and poor, that’s why ..join volunteer organizations and associations at all levels….” Among these is the Uganda Red Cross Society Bushenyi Branch where he has been an active and reliable member of their youth-link. A reference from that organization looks forward to benefits to come from Juuko in the future, as he is a lifetime member and dedicated to its mission: “Your help towards this young man’s prospering in his medical course will be a great honour to our community.”

His eventual career would be in family medicine in Uganda, caring for “needy families and individuals.”

Jurugo  Roberts Ali

Country: Uganda (Sudanese native)

Field: Medicine

Having grown up in a refugee camp, Jurugo Roberts Ali plans to live and work in South Sudan after completing his studies. His family has been repatriated to that country where his 8 siblings are in secondary school. He remained in Uganda to finish his education, paid for large by a now-deceased aunt and his parents. “The few goats and cows our family had have been used to pay my 2 years in medical school,” he says.

 Among the top students in Uganda in 1999, both citizens and refugees, he was awarded a scholarship to  continue in his secondary school. As a refugee child he admired the doctors and nurses caring for people in the camp, and has wanted to emulate them since. Among his goals are to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa, “to fight poverty, ignorance and corruption in Sudan,” and to “help in the reduction of maternal and child mortality rates in Sudan ….”

 Jackline Anyango

Country: Kenya

Field: Medicine 

Jackline Anyango’s ambition is to become a cardiac specialist. Her family includes three siblings still in primary school and parents who are a school teacher and business woman. Her participation in a medical degree program is highly unusual for young women in Kenya and her community is both supportive and recognizes her abilities. Recently she had to suspend her studies when her father was injured but persevered and returned nearly a year later.

She has already contributed to the health and well-being of women and young people by raising HIV/AIDS awareness through the Youth Education program in her village. She plans to return to Kenya to the benefit of her country, hoping to make an impact both as a woman in a male-dominated field and as a doctor. She believes that managing preventable disease by education is the key to success in fighting poverty and wants to be part of that effort.

Jackline is about to embark on her third year in medical school. “I’m …determined to show the society that each and every person is capable of carrying out any activity given opportunity.”

 

Studying at Bergen County Community College in Paramus, New Jersey…

 Angello Villarreal

Angello Villarreal

Country: Peru

Field: Exercise Science and certification as a Personal Trainer and Massage Therapist.

Having already worked as an Assistant Basketball Coach at Claretiano High School and as a Gym Supervisor at Bergen, Angello plans to be a sports educator when he returns home. One of Angello’s accomplishments at Bergen Community College has been to create a student Fitness Club.

 “Being the oldest child in the family, I had the responsibility to teach and be the example for the younger ones of my family. That is how I found my passion for teaching.” He explains that he is studying in the US because “Exercise Science or Physical Education are not popular or even good in my country, so I decided to come to America [where]..the country has better athletes and the best sports history in the world.” To ease the financial burden on his father, Angello has chosen an accelerated course load to complete his studies sooner than commonly done by international students at BCC. When he is working, he plans to contribute to the family income so that his younger brother may also get a good education.

Claudia Ortega

Claudia Ortega

Country: Colombia

Field: Business Administration and Management

Claudia graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering and worked with her father as an electrical contractor. When she came to the US she had tried and failed to get work in her field in her home country but the opportunities simply were not there. Knowing no English she first enrolled in an ESL course where she excelled and continued on to a degree course in business management at BCC. Her father continued to support her education until his death last year.

As well as being a student, Claudia is a wife and mother. She says “I …spend my time as best as I can between my studies, volunteering at my daughter’s school, exercising and working on my professional preparation: improving my resume [and] reading business magazines and newspapers….”

Her professors spoke highly of her academic achievements, and her adeptness balancing the demands of home and school. With one semester to go, Claudia is admirably diligent in pursuing her own dreams as well as building a life for her family.

Papa Faty

Papa Faty

Country: Senegal

Field: Engineering

Papa grew up in a farming community in desert-like conditions. In his region only about a third of the population has any formal education and young people migrate to the cities to find work. His mother encountered numerous difficulties, including her husband’s objections, to find ways to earn money for her children’s education so Papa’s studies were interrupted by lack of fund. He was eventually able to complete high school and mechanic’s training. Papa’s elder brother lives in the US and has been providing a home for him while attending BCC.

The poverty in his home country as it is, Papa is nonetheless committed to the needy here in the US as a member of the International Student Association at BCC, “serving food to homeless people,” as well as other volunteer activities. He has used his native language skills to get a job tutoring in other students in French.

“My current goal is to …go back to my country. I would love to contribute in the development of Senegal, and its education. …I am very interested in alternative energy sources and have been learning a lot about global warming and [its] importance… in the future of the world. I believe that being able to utilize affordable solar energy in [Senegal] would take my country from poverty to prosperity.”

Katerina Dimitrova

Katerina Dimitrova

Country: Macedonia

Field: Business Administration – International Trade

Katerina jumped at the change to learn English when it was introduced to local schools upon the demise of the communist government in Macedonia. With that knowledge she began here college education in the English language and literature program but wanted to go further and study business. Accepted to Berkeley College, she found that despite her 4.0 GPA, she was unable to afford to continue due to economic constraints. She transferred to BCC at that time to continue in her chosen field.

At home in Macedonia, Katerina has complemented her academic work by volunteering as an English tutor and contributing to park, river and beach clean-up projects. She is currently active in student government, is on the Student Activities Board organizing events, and belongs to other campus organizations volunteering her time and energies.. She was recently elected President of her campus sorority.

While she hopes to continue on the graduate studies in international business, Katerina wants to return home to make a difference there. She writes “I plan to go back to my beautiful country and try to implement my knowledge the best I can to help my country’s economic development.”

 

 

 Studying in Ghana…

 Gaddiel Kumtsiah Nana

Country: Ghana

Field: Sociology/Philosophy/Theatre and Arts/Archaeology

Gaddiel is the second of four sons, whose father is deceased and whose mother operates a bakery. The elder brother has continued in his father’s footsteps as a peasant farmer and providing for the family. The two younger boys remain in school. The family’s household and educational expenses are borne by his mother and brother, though they have had financial help from family friends and through Gaddiel’s own contributed while working as an Account Assistant in a marketing firm. He has also been involved in volunteer activities at church and with the Environmental Protection Agency through his secondary school.

An asset to his secondary school beyond the excellence of his grades, Gaddiel won awards in a number of inter-school quiz competitions and held the leadership position of Senior Prefect of the school. While he studied Business Accounting in secondary school, he hopes to attend law school after achieving a B.A. As with many of our scholars, Gaddiel plans to work toward improving social and economic conditions in his home country.

Gedzah Emmanuel Kwaku

Country: Ghana

Field: Commercial Arts (Textiles) 

Gedzah has a large family headed by his widowed father. He has three older sisters and both a younger sister and three younger brothers. Since his mother’s death, when he was just 6, his father has had a difficult time supporting this large family. This scholar has  has contributed to both his family’s support and that of his own education.

After completing his secondary education, Gedzah volunteered within the teaching service of his former school.  He is described by the headmaster as “a very brilliant boy” and another teacher wrote that he was “diligent.” Unfortunately, he was deceived by an offer of financial assistance in return for three years’ labor, only to be refused the promised funds after fulfilling his end of the bargain. Nonetheless, Gedzah enrolled in his degree program.  As a result his father had to sell some of his land for him to attend. In evaluating his application, the WMF Board was impressed by the  determination shown to complete his education. 

Edmund Nana Yaw Nyarko

Country: Ghana

Field: Agriculture

Edmund plans to become an agricultural economist “in order to improve the productivity and al aspects of agriculture in Ghana and Africa… [T]o identify and solve problems …especially in developing countries… since agriculture is the backbone of most developing countries. I will serve wherever my services are needed.” His volunteer work has been with a campaign to raise awareness of tuberculosis and encourage prevention. His work history includes being a salesperson for a gift shop.

Edmund’s family includes only sisters and his parents, both of whom are employed. His father is a driver for a fast food company and his mother is a petty trader, with whom he works during term breaks at the local market. He comes from a middle class community by Ghanaian standards but his family is nonetheless unable to help Edmund and fully finance the secondary education of the sisters in school. As a result he delayed beginning college but has now completed his first year toward a Bachelor’s degree.

Wisdom Fiabumor

Country: Ghana

Field: Computer Technology and Applications

This scholar’s goal is clear and his career path clearly set out. “My career objective is to be a computer programmer and a network engineer…. I hope to live in my country Ghana and serve the nation by [imparting] computer knowledge to the rural communities….”

Wisdom has already received some computer and software training, which will provide opportunities for work in many areas of a developing economy.. He is also fortunate enough to have a small ongoing monthly stipend to put toward his B.Sc. was awarded by excelling in an annual scholarship exam. Additionally, has gained experience in both paid employment and volunteer work at a computer training center.

He clearly has the innate customer service skills for someone with his future intention. Wisdom’s employer at an internet café and business service center in Accra says that Wisdom has “an excellent work ethic, … is prompt, hardworking and capable of multi-tasking.., [with] amicable interactions with both customers and colleagues.” His part-time work there continues to fund his education.