Senior Ngozi Onuzo (Nigeria) Class of 2012

I came to Smith College from Lagos, Nigeria, following my two older sisters to Smith. Although I attended the best public high school for girls in the country, there were many challenges that impeded my education. One of the most critical was periodic strikes by teachers, due to delayed or withheld salary payments by the government. As a result, I had to take classes at a private institution during the strikes, and return when teachers agreed to come back temporarily, often at the end of the term. However, the opportunity to take classes elsewhere was not available to most students, which had a negative academic and social impact on students, some of whom indulged in social misconduct or dropped out of school consequently.

Although this issue has been somewhat addressed, exorbitant secondary school fees have become the biggest challenge at hand because the government does not fund or subsidize education beyond the primary level. This has made it even more difficult for girls to attend secondary school, or even think about attending higher education institutions. As Nigeria still suffers from political, economic, and environmental stresses, women are put aside in most aspects in society, especially education, and the results of this are obvious in the corrupt governance and instability of the country.

What has kept me encouraged at Smith is the knowledge of how privileged and blessed I am to have access to a world-class education, and I have persevered for the sake of my family and country that look up to educated women such as myself. I am hoping to work within the Geosciences or Environmental Science field after graduation, and then move on to graduate school, after which I will return to Nigeria to practice environmental consulting, and get involved in environmental policy after several years.

Without the funding I received to continue my education at Smith College, I know I would not have the opportunities I have today, and cannot express my gratitude enough for the impact Smith has had on my life. I know that the Fulfill the Potential fund will bring to Smith, women who are ready to use their education to make changes in their societies, and extend help to many other women. My Smith education has helped me establish and achieve goals I once thought were unattainable, and this is just one example of what the fund will do for many others.

Again, thank you for reaching out to me on behalf of the project. Please let me know if you need any more information or help.

Sincerely,

Ngozika Onuzo

Smith College ‘12

Some of the AMAZING class of '78 women who have contributed are listed here . . .

Diana, Stephanie, Valerie, Patricia, Paula, Anne, Celestia, Diane, Kathy, Marguerite, Celia, Donna, Jamie, Julie, Kerry, Leslie, Sarah, Barbara, Therese, Deborah, Elizabeth, Joan, Laurie, Lynda , Nancy, Susan, Susan, Barbara, Kathryn, Robin, Dorothy, Maggie, Mary Louise, Wendy, Chandler, Emily, Madeline, Marcia,Robin, Caroline, Debra, Mary, Lynn, Carolyn Sandra, Beth, Pamela, Priscilla, Terri, Jean, Mary Linda, Nina, Ruth, Karen, Elizabeth, Caroline, Tanya, Joy, Carolyn, Barbara, Jennifer, Annie, Kathryn, Jenny, Claire, Liz and Susan . . .

Want to add your name to the list? Please join your classmates in contributing to fulfilling the potential of women to change the world! Join the 70 classmates who have donated (by first name only) who have contributed to The Smith College Class of 1978 “Fulfill the Potential” Endowed Scholarship: Here's the link: https://www.smith.edu/future/giving/


Don't see your name, or don't see a classmate's name and want to ask her to contribute with you? Contact me, and I will send you her email. Here's the link to email me: dr.annie.degroot@gmail.com.

Please remember to pull down the "Reason" and mark "Class of 1978 Fulfill the Potential".
And Thank You!

Fatima's story (Fatima Bassir, Smith 2015)

Dear Dr. De Groot,

I deeply appreciate the effort your graduation class is making with the *Fulfill the Potential* project. It is a privilege to be able to contribute to this project and I am more than happy to share my story if it will potentially help others begin their journey. My Smith education is most valuable to me and I would love to see other women from developing and/or post conflict countries receive this incomparable academic experience.

During Sierra Leone's civil war, my family and I resided in Nigeria. We only returned to the country in 2004 after the fighting had sufficiently died down, even though many still feared there would be another sudden outbreak of war. Luckily for us there was none. Thus I continued my secondary education in Freetown until 6th form, after which I applied for the United World College scholarship. On acceptance I left my family to complete my high school/college education in Norway.

Studying at the United World Colleges made Universities in the US much more accessible to me. We often had representatives from various US universities come to the college and give presentations about their schools.Like most people, I first heard about Smith from a friend who was applying here. Even though I was unable to visit the college before applying, I read a lot of positive things about Smith from college reviews written by students.This coupled with the fact that Smith is one of the only Liberal Arts colleges that offer a Bachelor of Science in Engineering made it the ideal college choice for me.

Fortunately, I was accepted to Smith college and offered a generous Financial Aid package. This made my college enrollment decision fairly simple and greatly eased my mother*s financial burden of having to concurrently pay university fees for three children. Most importantly it meant I could bypass my country's tertiary education system that has been continuously deteriorating since the civil war.

At Smith I have been welcomed into a society of ambitious and caring young women who have inspired and encouraged me through my first semester. Its amazing how despite everyone*s busy schedule people still takeout time to stop and chat with other students and learn more about what is happening in the lives of others. I am convinced that I made the right decision by coming here; at Smith I am not only receiving an exceptional education, but also making life long friendships.

Thank you for inviting me to be part of this project. Please let me know if there is anything else about me you would like me to share.

Fatima attended our class reunion - see pictures from that event here.

Regards,
Fatima Bassir
Smith College 2015