Fall 2008 Scholarship Spotlight - Ohlone College Foundation
Libere Ndacayisaba
- Ohlone College Foundation Scholarship
“The plagues and diseases that ravaged the refugee camp in which I was living made me realize that the only thing I could do was to embrace school so that one day I can serve the society by saving lives…”
Although financing my education has never been easy for me, the passion of my life to become a doctor has always been a goal to reach, a dream to come true. The origin of my dream is a childhood memory when I witnessed the 1993 Burundian genocide which took away my father and made the surviving family live in unspeakable poverty in a refugee camp ever since. Watching my father being killed, walking through hundreds of cut and burned bodies made me think what I could have done to save my father or even other people. I was six years old.
The plagues and diseases that ravaged the refugee camp in which I was living made me realize that the only thing I could do was to embrace school so that one day I can serve the society by saving lives. That was the beginning of my journey. As poor as we were in the refugee camp, I had to sell fruits, peanuts, and popcorn to get my tuition and school kit. And since I was an outstanding student, the awards I got helped me out to pay my school needs until I finished high school.
When I graduated from high school, I decided to push my dream to a higher level by applying to Ohlone College and was accepted. No one expected to see me studying in the US but I trusted myself and applied. I was not the richest but I knew my academic background and merit would grant me the visa. Moving from Burundi, the farthest corner of East Africa, to America, the world of high technology, was another memorable challenge for me. Full of courage, dedication and determination, I entered Ohlone College and grabbed a 3.7 GPA for my first semester. The integration to the Californian society and Ohlone community was an experience to remember and I was glad to share my knowledge by becoming the only French tutor on and an active member of the International Club and AMSA Health Coalition Club. With the never-ending courage, compassion , perseverance and determination, I believe I will live my dream one day. Thank you for this scholarship!
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