Thank you very much yaafoundation. My dream came true.
I am an African kid from Cameroon who loves playing basketball. I turned 16 this year. I was born in one of the English speaking regions of Cameroon, precisely in the town of Buea which is the capital of the South West Region. Since I was a kid, I attended my primary and secondary school in this region thanks to the affordable fees in the government schools. Since early age my favorite hobby has always been basketball which I often practiced as an athlete and also watched as a great fan of NBA. I am greatly attached to this thanks to NBA superstars such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and many others who were a great source of inspiration to me.
I am a high school student who has excellent grades from a science series. For a year now it has been practically impossible for me to continue my studies in a qualified school of the country that offers free education. My greatest dream has always been to accomplish a degree in mechanical engineering, but unfortunately my parents have not been able to afford for such professional studies due to lack of means. This is also due to the fact that these institutions are located in other towns of the country that will also necessitate the yearly payment of accommodation.
I am the elder of a family and I have three other siblings. Low income family. My father used to be a farmer of a company that produced cocoa in the Southwest Region called C.D.C. but today he has an anticipated retirement because he was a victim of an accident in the past years while exercising his job. As a result, he had one leg cut off because of the gravity of the accident. I was then 9. On the other hand, my mother used to be a housewife, but since my dad’s invalid status, she practices some commercial farming which serves as source of income to afford our family needs. During holidays my siblings and I help my mom in working the farms and also help in the selling of the farm products in the various local markets, so as to increase incomes that could help buy our school needs. This meant leaving the house as early as 5 AM and come late after 8 PM, Monday through Sunday, without weekends. Moreover, I also participate in basketball tournaments and championships that are organized during these holidays with the hope of winning a gold medal and make some money as well.
Therefore, the prevailing situation makes it practically impossible for me to further my education in a vocational school that offers mechanical engineering due to lack of means on the part of my parents. In this light I have applied for scholarships in several institutions who offer these engineering studies and I hope that my academic grades and rewards will favor my eligibility to obtain a scholarship that could cover my studies in your institution. In the meantime, thanks to my father’s contacts in his previous job site, I have been practicing some internships and other small contract jobs in that company to save some money that could help me afford some basic needs.
During a basketball tournament in Buea, I was the best junior player and won at the same time the fair play trophy. This attracted the yaafoundation scout team who was attending the tournament. I was contacted and offered a scholarship to go and study in America. 14th of August 2017, I joined the Diocese of Wichita-Catholic School (Trinity Catholic High School), Kansas. I am a full time student-athlete.
Due to the prevailing situation, my greatest hope has always been to be granted a scholarship in my chosen field to accomplish my studies while playing basketball, be able to help my siblings and take care of my parents, go from one meal a day to recommended three meals a day. Why not one day help my community by being a role model, serving as an example.
All this was realized with God grace and the trust yaafoundation put on me.