Scholarship Spotlight Spring 2011 - Ohlone College Foundation
Lebiki Hilaire Bonkaw
- Cargill Scholarship
- Follett Higher Education Group Book Scholarships
- Osher Initiative for California Community College Students
I was born and raised in Africa. I moved to the United States to achieve the American dream. Once I got here, I realized that the best way I could achieve this dream is through education. I went to college first to learn English since French is sort of my first language. Once in college, I was introduced by my teacher to the Biotechnology program. I loved it very much! and when I moved to Fremont I signed up for the program. When I learned more about the program, I thought “this is an opportunity for me to get into a research field and contribute to the discovery of new technology and drugs that would cure nowadays incurable diseases such as cancer. My father who I miss very much, passed away from prostate cancer in 2007, and HIV/AIDS. My goal is to get a PhD degree in biotechnology and start a biotechnology laboratory.
I am a single father with a teenage daughter and rent a two bedroom apartment. I work full time as a security guard at night and during the day I take care of my daughter and go to school. Despite my busy schedule, I have a GPA of 3.9 for the 46 units I have taken at Ohlone College. It has been two years since I started at Ohlone and this semester I felt exhausted. I am falling behind in my schooling, my daughter needs more care than before now that she is a teenager and since I am not helping her the way I should her grades are suffering too. I am truly in need of financial assistance and this scholarship is a big help to me. I will be able to reduce my work hours so I can take care and help my daughter with her school work and I can continue to be the A student that I am.
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