funding opportunities by making job applications and consulting different departments. I constantly checked my email
hoping to get a positive response but it was all in vain. As the
fall semester drew closer my husband and I had to make a
decision to be sure to maintain my international student status.
So, we enrolled at Florida State University since my husband
had received a scholarship at the university for his doctoral
studies. After further negotiations, I was lucky to be awarded a
Graduate Research assistantship position just one day before
the beginning of the semester. With the position, the university
covered my fees and offered me a monthly stipend.
WISDOM QUOTES FROM OUR
LEADERS
A week after enrolling, I was shocked to learn that I still had to
pay approximately $2,500 being additional fees and health
insurance. Since my husband was part of the university, this
means we had to pay an extra $5,000. I knew that for us to
achieve our educational goals, we had to seek extra funding
through scholarships. I worked on my scholarship applications
tirelessly and I regularly consulted the office of Graduate
Fellowships and Awards for drafting and editing of my application materials.
On April 21st of 2014, I was extremely excited when I saw an
email with the following remarks “Dear IPS Applicant; we
wanted to let you know that you have been awarded an IPS
scholarship for the 2014-15 academic year”. I was delighted to
be a recipient of International Peace Scholarship of $10,000
for each academic year, for two years. In May 2015, I was
also selected as a recipient of a $6,000 award from the Richard
Horovitz Fund for Professional Development for 2015-2016
academic year. With this financial support I am highly motivated to complete my studies as scheduled. All in all, in spite of
the challenges I have encountered in my pursuit of education, I
will always delight in fulling the purpose despite the price..
“ There is undoubtedly considerable evidence
of much that is noble and glorious in our
African past, there is no need to gild the lily
nor to try to hide that which is ignoble. But
here again it is a question of whose standards
and values you are applying in assesing
something as noble or ignoble, and I maintain
(we) must reject non-african value judgments
of things African”.
-Kwame NkrumahIDEA DIAPORA 45
Courtesy of D. Gaitha
D.Gaitha Creative Studio
www.dgaitha.com