Edgewood College’s Community Scholars Program
To give and receive
To give and receive
Akouvi Nofodji (l-r), Elena Aleman, Lorena Guimaraens and
Breana Anthony are the 2009 Edgewood College
Community Scholars
Breana Anthony are the 2009 Edgewood College
Community Scholars
By Jonathan Gramling
Three years ago, Edgewood College set up the Community Scholars program to give
scholarships to three high school students per year who had exhibited the spirit of
community service during their high school careers and had a need for financial
assistance. Outside of striving for academic achievement, the only requirement for the
scholarships is that the students continue their interests in providing community service
to the community.
Members of this year’s class of Community Scholars have traveled different roads to
get where they are today although they are united in their zeal to help others. Akouvi
Nofodji has had a rough road to get wehere she is today. She came here from Togo, West
Africa in 2004. “The life I had in Togo is different than the life I have now,” Nofodji said
during an interview with The Capital City Hues. “My mom passed, so she is not there to
guide me through a lot of stuff. So it is very hard and stuff. I have God and myself. When I
need help, I can ask people whom I think will help me.”
Breana Anthony became a single parent while she attended Monona Grove High
Three years ago, Edgewood College set up the Community Scholars program to give
scholarships to three high school students per year who had exhibited the spirit of
community service during their high school careers and had a need for financial
assistance. Outside of striving for academic achievement, the only requirement for the
scholarships is that the students continue their interests in providing community service
to the community.
Members of this year’s class of Community Scholars have traveled different roads to
get where they are today although they are united in their zeal to help others. Akouvi
Nofodji has had a rough road to get wehere she is today. She came here from Togo, West
Africa in 2004. “The life I had in Togo is different than the life I have now,” Nofodji said
during an interview with The Capital City Hues. “My mom passed, so she is not there to
guide me through a lot of stuff. So it is very hard and stuff. I have God and myself. When I
need help, I can ask people whom I think will help me.”
Breana Anthony became a single parent while she attended Monona Grove High
School. It made her road to do something meaningful with her life much harder. But her daughter plus the support of her mother and school counselor
Charlie Ellis, have given her the resolve to become an RN. She was particularly blessed to have Ellis in her life. “When I first started looking at
college — and I always wanted to go to college, but I don’t know if I was taking it seriously or what — everyone told me that I should go to MATC,”
Anthony recalled. “He was the one who believed that I could do something bigger than that because I knew that I was capable of going to a four-year
college or a university, but everyone was telling me that I couldn’t. He was the one who put forth the effort and helped me do the application and got
me in here with Christine and everything and opened up doors for me to be where I am today.”
Elena Aleman, who was raised in Baja, California, has reached this point in her life through a lot of hard work. But it is also the sacrifice of her
mother that has allowed her to go on to college. “She went through a lot to bring me and my family here to the U.S.,” Aleman said. “Every time I talk to
her about my goals, she would tell me to think positive and that I can do it. It’s not going to be easy, but I can do it. She’s always saying that if it is
easy, everyone would be doing it. But since it’s not, there you go. She’s always giving me good advice and she’s always telling me how she didn’t
even go through high school and how I can do it. She inspires me to do well and to prove to other people who don’t believe in me that I can do it.”
A native of Uruguay, Lorena Guimaraenn has also relied on her parents for support and for inspiration to reach new heights in her life. “My parents, by
being the people whom they are, make me the person I am right now,” Guimaraenn said. “They inspire me every day. It’s a place where I can go home
and have their support for anything I can do. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here. Eight years ago, my dad decided to come over here because he
wanted me to have a better education than he did. Both of my parents didn’t finish high school. But they knew that I could do something bigger than
them. Thanks to them, I am here right now. So they’ve been role models ever since. They never gave up on their children. So I’m not going to give up
because of them. And I’m going to do the best I can to make them proud.”
While volunteering is an altruistic endeavor in which the students are bound and determined to help someone out — each of the 2009 Community
Charlie Ellis, have given her the resolve to become an RN. She was particularly blessed to have Ellis in her life. “When I first started looking at
college — and I always wanted to go to college, but I don’t know if I was taking it seriously or what — everyone told me that I should go to MATC,”
Anthony recalled. “He was the one who believed that I could do something bigger than that because I knew that I was capable of going to a four-year
college or a university, but everyone was telling me that I couldn’t. He was the one who put forth the effort and helped me do the application and got
me in here with Christine and everything and opened up doors for me to be where I am today.”
Elena Aleman, who was raised in Baja, California, has reached this point in her life through a lot of hard work. But it is also the sacrifice of her
mother that has allowed her to go on to college. “She went through a lot to bring me and my family here to the U.S.,” Aleman said. “Every time I talk to
her about my goals, she would tell me to think positive and that I can do it. It’s not going to be easy, but I can do it. She’s always saying that if it is
easy, everyone would be doing it. But since it’s not, there you go. She’s always giving me good advice and she’s always telling me how she didn’t
even go through high school and how I can do it. She inspires me to do well and to prove to other people who don’t believe in me that I can do it.”
A native of Uruguay, Lorena Guimaraenn has also relied on her parents for support and for inspiration to reach new heights in her life. “My parents, by
being the people whom they are, make me the person I am right now,” Guimaraenn said. “They inspire me every day. It’s a place where I can go home
and have their support for anything I can do. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here. Eight years ago, my dad decided to come over here because he
wanted me to have a better education than he did. Both of my parents didn’t finish high school. But they knew that I could do something bigger than
them. Thanks to them, I am here right now. So they’ve been role models ever since. They never gave up on their children. So I’m not going to give up
because of them. And I’m going to do the best I can to make them proud.”
While volunteering is an altruistic endeavor in which the students are bound and determined to help someone out — each of the 2009 Community
| The Edgewood Community Scholars: Elena Aleman (l-r), Akouvi Nofodji, Lorena Guimaraens, Zachary Kimbrew, Ana Villagomez, Breana Anthony, Tyrone Cratic Williams, Marcia Morales, Nina Liamba |
Scholars had extensive track records volunteering in high school — they also learned
that they benefitted from their volunteerism as well in ways that they had not foreseen. “I
think what I get out of volunteering is just the satisfaction of knowing that you aren’t just
for yourself and you are doing stuff for other people,” Anthony said. “They call it
volunteering because you aren’t getting paid for it, but you do get paid for it. It’s
rewarding to know you are helping people because you never know when you may need
someone to help you. It’s just all good. You do learn a lot by volunteering and gain so
much that you can use later on in life.”
For Nofodji, volunteering has given her some perspective on life even though her
road has been hard. “You realize that things could be better, but I don’t have the worst
life,” Nofodji said. “I learned to be grateful for all that I have.”
When Aleman volunteered at Leopold Elementary School, she took away a possible
career. “I thought teaching would be a good thing to do,” Aleman said. “It feels good
even if you don’t expect something back. You almost always get something back even if
it is just a thank you.”
Volunteering has opened up new horizons for Guimaraenn. “Volunteering makes you
learn stuff and gives you that feeling that you need to learn more and be open to new
cultures and new people,” Guimaraenn said. “I realized that I don’t know everything and
that I need to keep learning. I need to keep giving back to the community to make it
better.”
This year’s Community Scholars are bound to make a positive impact on the
Edgewood College community.
that they benefitted from their volunteerism as well in ways that they had not foreseen. “I
think what I get out of volunteering is just the satisfaction of knowing that you aren’t just
for yourself and you are doing stuff for other people,” Anthony said. “They call it
volunteering because you aren’t getting paid for it, but you do get paid for it. It’s
rewarding to know you are helping people because you never know when you may need
someone to help you. It’s just all good. You do learn a lot by volunteering and gain so
much that you can use later on in life.”
For Nofodji, volunteering has given her some perspective on life even though her
road has been hard. “You realize that things could be better, but I don’t have the worst
life,” Nofodji said. “I learned to be grateful for all that I have.”
When Aleman volunteered at Leopold Elementary School, she took away a possible
career. “I thought teaching would be a good thing to do,” Aleman said. “It feels good
even if you don’t expect something back. You almost always get something back even if
it is just a thank you.”
Volunteering has opened up new horizons for Guimaraenn. “Volunteering makes you
learn stuff and gives you that feeling that you need to learn more and be open to new
cultures and new people,” Guimaraenn said. “I realized that I don’t know everything and
that I need to keep learning. I need to keep giving back to the community to make it
better.”
This year’s Community Scholars are bound to make a positive impact on the
Edgewood College community.