My Biography

I was born 1957, only one year after my parents emigrated from a refugee camp in Kenya. My parents were faced with many difficulties in their lifetime; they couldn't speak English well, they didn't have family to support them, and they didn't understand the culture of America. But with hard work and perseverance my dad became a police officer and my mom found a job with the International Rescue Committee assimilating refugees into American society. As a child they always told me with hard work anything is possible, and I took their words and ran with it. I skipped a grade in elementary school and I received straight A's throughout middle school. My parents always thought that if you got a high school diploma you were set up for success the rest of your life. Once I decided that I wanted to go to college, my dad suffered an injury on the job. As a police officer you receive constant strain to your back and finally his back gave out and now he has a spinal cord injury. Although he is able to function normally he can't go a day without pain. The job was a blessing and a curse because at the time he needed it most he couldn't continue. My sister and I are attending the same 4 year university so paying two tuitions without a job is impossible. That is why I need this scholarship, because without it I can't accomplish my dreams and continue in college.