Some days start out well. On other days, like today, you get stung by a stinging ant within the first 20 minutes of waking up and it stings all day long. However, the start of the day isn't always indicative of how the rest of the day will be. And today, that was so very true.
I got the BEST NEWS EVER today!
As I was leaving grade 7A and was carrying on to grade 6A's classroom for their lesson, I asked for someone from 7A to please bring the class set of textbooks back to my desk. One of the brightest learners in the class, Anatolia, jumped up for the task. We had to walk the same direction for a bit and as I was turning off to go to grade 6A's class, she quickly said, "Miss!," in order to stop me. I turned, a bit surprised, and asked, "Yes, Anatolia?"
Here's what she told me next: "Miss, I just wanted to inform you that my mother received a phone call and I was awarded the scholarship to attend school in Windhoek. So I want to thank you for helping me." OH MY GOOOOSH. Seriously. My eyes welled up with happy tears and I gave her a big hug and congratulated her. I have the chills just remembering the moment now. I am SO PROUD of her and SOOO happy for her. What a life-changing opportunity.
This scholarship is offered by one of the Ministries under the Namibian government. The goal of the scholarship is to eradicate poverty through education. As such, the recipients of this scholarship (only 25 from all of Namibia) must be presently enrolled in grade 7, be of extremely high intellect, and come from a low-income household. If selected for the scholarship, the recipients have all* expenses related to their education paid for at one of two schools: Windhoek High School or Windhoek Gymnasium Private School.
(*When I say all expenses paid, I mean tuition, room and board, uniform, toiletries, transportation between home and school during school break, required learning tools [iPad, laptop, etc.], etc.)
Needless to say, this scholarship is a real game-changer for a lot of gifted learners. Without it, it would be impossible for their families to afford to send them to the best high schools in Namibia.
The scholarship is such a great opportunity, but it also is a real b***** to apply for due to the many many many documents that it requires (sorry for the French). I helped 3 learners through the process by: 1) meeting with their parents to explain the scholarship, get their consent, and inform them what documents they needed to procure and submit; 2) editing each learner's motivation letter three times; 3) writing each learner a letter of recommendation; and 4) going to town to fax and submit their applications. The process was extremely time consuming, but the opportunity that the scholarship brought kept me motivated.
And now, I am SO HAPPY that I was able to help all three learners apply for this scholarship. While all three didn't receive it, one did, and that is fantastic. A big thank you to Peace Corps as well, as they are the ones that informed me of this application and helped me to help my learner to help herself!
Wow, wow. What a day. Not to turn Anatolia's moment into a moment for myself, but I have thought to myself many times during my service, "if I only make a difference in one child's life... my service is worth it." Well, I feel that I very tangibly achieved that goal. Heck, I'm proud of myself, too!
I got the BEST NEWS EVER today!
As I was leaving grade 7A and was carrying on to grade 6A's classroom for their lesson, I asked for someone from 7A to please bring the class set of textbooks back to my desk. One of the brightest learners in the class, Anatolia, jumped up for the task. We had to walk the same direction for a bit and as I was turning off to go to grade 6A's class, she quickly said, "Miss!," in order to stop me. I turned, a bit surprised, and asked, "Yes, Anatolia?"
Here's what she told me next: "Miss, I just wanted to inform you that my mother received a phone call and I was awarded the scholarship to attend school in Windhoek. So I want to thank you for helping me." OH MY GOOOOSH. Seriously. My eyes welled up with happy tears and I gave her a big hug and congratulated her. I have the chills just remembering the moment now. I am SO PROUD of her and SOOO happy for her. What a life-changing opportunity.
This scholarship is offered by one of the Ministries under the Namibian government. The goal of the scholarship is to eradicate poverty through education. As such, the recipients of this scholarship (only 25 from all of Namibia) must be presently enrolled in grade 7, be of extremely high intellect, and come from a low-income household. If selected for the scholarship, the recipients have all* expenses related to their education paid for at one of two schools: Windhoek High School or Windhoek Gymnasium Private School.
(*When I say all expenses paid, I mean tuition, room and board, uniform, toiletries, transportation between home and school during school break, required learning tools [iPad, laptop, etc.], etc.)
Needless to say, this scholarship is a real game-changer for a lot of gifted learners. Without it, it would be impossible for their families to afford to send them to the best high schools in Namibia.
The scholarship is such a great opportunity, but it also is a real b***** to apply for due to the many many many documents that it requires (sorry for the French). I helped 3 learners through the process by: 1) meeting with their parents to explain the scholarship, get their consent, and inform them what documents they needed to procure and submit; 2) editing each learner's motivation letter three times; 3) writing each learner a letter of recommendation; and 4) going to town to fax and submit their applications. The process was extremely time consuming, but the opportunity that the scholarship brought kept me motivated.
And now, I am SO HAPPY that I was able to help all three learners apply for this scholarship. While all three didn't receive it, one did, and that is fantastic. A big thank you to Peace Corps as well, as they are the ones that informed me of this application and helped me to help my learner to help herself!
Wow, wow. What a day. Not to turn Anatolia's moment into a moment for myself, but I have thought to myself many times during my service, "if I only make a difference in one child's life... my service is worth it." Well, I feel that I very tangibly achieved that goal. Heck, I'm proud of myself, too!
We are so proud of you too Christy! Congratulations to Anatolia, her family and her teacher! You are making a difference every day for your learners. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteHoly cow!!! Congratulations!!! I am so happy for her and for you!! You are a rock star and then some!!!
ReplyDeleteSo exciting!!! Congrats to Anatolia! She's lucky to have someone like you who cares so much about her success and future.
ReplyDeleteSo happy for you Christy!! I am sure Anatolia and her family will be forever grateful to you for helping her achieve such a tremendous goal! Love you!
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! You're awesome! Keep up the amazing work. You're inspiring to me, and I know you've got so much more life-changing to accomplish for the year to come! :)
ReplyDeleteYou are awesome. A force for good in the world.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your kind words and for joining me in the excitement! And I have even more exciting news... I found out today that a SECOND one of my learners was awarded the scholarship!!!!
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