An Inspiring Journey: From Refugee to Scholar
By Alycia, a GEF Kenya scholar
One midnight in December, my phone rang. I decided to ignore it since it was late. If only I knew… Luckily, it rang again and I answered only to fi nd out that it was a call from the college of my dreams! Bryn Mawr College! I could hardly believe my ears when I was told I was accepted into Bryn Mawr!
Then came a scream, followed by tears of joy. Everybody in the house woke up. I broke the news to my parents who looked shocked by my scream. How joyful that night was! My sleep vanished because of too much excitement. My family started talking about it. “Mum, it feels all this is a dream…” I said to my mother. “No, it is real and it was bound to happen, for all that we have been through,” she replied.
Thanks to my parents’ sacrifices, my journey from primary school to secondary school to getting accepted into Bryn Mawr was a dream come true. I talked endlessly about everything that got me there. It turned into one long conversation that lasted until 4:00 am!
My mother is first and foremost the reason for everything I am today. She struggled beyond imagination to get us educated and disciplined. She is the reason why we are in Kenya, where I got the education that gave me a chance to get accepted into such a good school.
Understand that my family and I have been through difficult times. We changed from one school to the next, moved to different cities and sometimes different countries because we were fleeing a repressive regime in northern Africa. As refugees, this brought incredible drawbacks but I am happy that it did not discourage me. I went on with my studies, mostly in public schools and some informal schools. I learnt a lot in my high school: independence, hard work, leadership and responsibility. I did not have any plans for a specific college. I just wanted to listen, obey, and work hard at my studies.
Global Education Fund (GEF) was my primary driving force. GEF found me just when I needed it. They paid my school fees and nurtured me. My parents had more than enough burdens and I was worried about that, especially because I did not know where I was going with my education. Nobody in my family clearly explained to me the importance of education. My parents probably knew it was important but they could not elaborate as they have not been through it. All I remember is that I loved education and I enjoyed learning, and GEF gave me a whole different direction.
“So there are people out there who wanted to pay my school fees?”, I remember asking. “It must be important that I am in school.” Besides that, GEF enrolled us in leadership classes. “This must be important, too,” I thought. It sure proved to be successful.
The different intelligent people who spoke to us in the leadership trainings were inspirational as well as interactive. I learnt that it was vital for one to get education and become empowered, that hard work paid off, and that we ought to choose careers wisely. I picked up leadership skills. Gradually as classes went on, I learned to express myself more efficiently and gained social confidence in our gatherings. These skills helped me manage my studies and my leadership position in school as head girl.
Global Education Fund staff in Kenya helped me qualify for scholarships and get SAT support. I learned the importance of acquiring good writing and reading skills. I also learned about liberal arts education in America. It is amazing to learn to think for yourself, analyze situations, read and comprehend what is in between the lines, write argumentatively and convincingly among other skills. I grew more and more in love with liberal arts education the more I heard about it.
Suzanne Thomson, GEF Kenya Country Director, greatly contributed to my college preparation. She willingly volunteered to help improve my writing. We met as often as we could. I would write essays of different topics and she would read and comment on them where necessary. We had really interesting sessions. Besides the essays, Suzanne would give me pieces of advice and anything she felt I had to know either about my applications or just life in general. She is truly an inspiration to me.
I had so many papers to work on for my university applications and it would have been difficult and expensive if it weren’t for the GEF office. I chipped in a few shillings for the paper and ink to make copies of my applications. I am grateful for that. Besides my university applications, GEF was always there for me especially in acquiring my identification papers.
In addition, my sincere gratitude goes to Julie Shaw, former GEF Executive Director, for recommending me in my applications. Julie always believed in me even more than I believed in myself, “You are one great talented young woman and you will do well no matter what happens. You have us at your back.” She said this to me and always reminded me every time we met.
Truly, I have had GEF at my back. It was a long tedious journey. I am, however, delighted for the distance I have come and that my hard work paid off. My biggest drive and motivation has always been making my well wishers proud and then giving back. I will strive to positively change the lives of everyone I’ve reached out to as well as spread education and happiness to the poor, especially women and girls in need, in my community. Thank you!
Back to Spring 2012 Newsletter
