In October 2018, the Opportunity Fund’s all-volunteer board of directors traveled to Jordan to celebrate the school’s 10th anniversary and interview three outstanding students qualified to become the next Opportunity Fund Scholar (our first scholar graduated in 2017).
Each was impressive, and are proud to announce the unanimous selection of a fine young man named Ibrahim A_____. He and his family have been refugees twice – from Iraq to Syria, and then from Syria to Jordan. He has found many obstacles in his young life, including missing school for more than 2 years while the family sought safety. But he has persevered and now has found stability at King’s Academy.
When told of his selection, Ibrahim wrote:
“I received your email during the 10th anniversary celebration and it gave me another reason to be thankful and to celebrate. I became thrilled thinking about the future that awaits me, a future that has been made feasible through the Opportunity Scholarship. I cannot express my gratitude enough to you and to your fellow board members for granting me this scholarship, which will not only be financial support, but will also provide me with further motive to excel in my future. I’m honored to carry the banner.”
Ibrahim’s refugee status had been problematic for enrollment in Jordan, however “the people at (King’s) Academic Affairs did not yield, and eventually got me officially re-enrolled as a student in the Ministry of Education. I have to say, this overwhelmed me because as a refugee, no one has ever stood up for me like that other than my own family, and for that, I am grateful beyond expression.”
He has also shared a renewed energy in learning “In King’s, I came to understand how being uncomfortable is a major aspect of learning and developing. In the past, I always avoided something which I wasn’t familiar with. Now, I search for activities that I’ve never done before. This way, I’m guaranteed to learn from it.”
Please help us welcome our new Opportunity Fund Scholar, Ibrahim!
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