By Albert Santoli | Project Leader
On April 24, 2015 the final eleven Bright Future Scholars who were supported by Asia America Initiative and our GlobalGiving donors graduated from Visayas State University in Leyte which was especially devastated by Typhoon Yolanda in 2013. The purpose of the scholarship was to inspire the surrounding communities by the success of these undergraduate students whose families’ homes and livelihoods were destroyed by the epic storm. We were pleasantly impressed that there were five Cum Laude graduates among the Bright Future group.
Although we did not reach our full target of $24,000 for two years of tuition coverage for 27 to 40 students, AAI covered close to half of the amount needed. Three other partner organizations covered the remaining amount of funding needed for these youths to stay in school and graduate. And Visayas State University administrators provided full support for this program to succeed. AAI's intention was for these youths – whose parents are hardworking community members – to represent the willingness to achieve a college degree in practical, professional fields of study. This will enable these new graduates to find decent jobs and to help rebuild their communities over the long term.
Sharmaine graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Environmental Management. She says, "Our community has suffered great hardship and despair after Typhoon Yolanda. People have gotten more poor. Our role as scholars is to assist the community with the skills we have learned."
Another honors student, Leomar, graduated with a degree in Chemistry. "The scholarship inspired me to strive more," he states,” and to work harder to achieve greater heights in my field of study. I am so grateful to all of our benefactors who permitted myself and the other scholars the opportunity to go far in life."
"I now see a bright light in what had been a dark road," says Bonifacio who earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering and who was recognized as the most inspiring student by his graduating class because of the obstacles that he and his mother, who hand-washes clothes to support her son and elementary school daughter, have overcome. "We scholars are becoming role models to motivate the people that poverty is not an impossible hindrance to achieving success... as long as we have the desire accompanied with perseverance."
And with a little help from their friends at AAI and Global Giving, their dreams of education have been realized. Thank you all!!
Links:
By Albert Santoli | Project Leader
By Albert Santoli | Project leader
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
