Returning Student Program Scholarship

My name is Israel Nigussie. I am a junior at the University of Maryland, College Park majoring in Public Health. My career goal is in medicine with an ambition to go back to my country Ethiopia and help the economically disadvantaged community get better medical care. I was a biology teacher in the rural part of Ethiopia before I began pursuing my goal of studying medicine. I succeeded in joining medical school back home and only after nearly one year of studying medicine, did I get the opportunity to legally immigrate to the United States. Then I had to do everything all over again before going to medical school in this country. I have accepted this challenge and, after going through a few years of hard work, I am remarkably close to realizing my dream.

I work as a part-time elderly caregiver. Yet, with more course load and dire need to remain in an excellent academic standing, I need to cut the hours I spend working and I depend on scholarships and grants to cover for my living expenses. National Council of Jewish Women is one of the organizations that has provided me with a recurring scholarship for which I am very thankful.

Jerome Quenum is a transfer student to the University of Maryland. He is an electrical engineering major and a member of Phi Theta Kappa. Originally from Benin, West Africa, He moved to the United States in 2013. Throughout his journey, he was able to serve as a STEM ambassador, volunteering in middle school and high school engineering outreach programs. He also tutored in various Math and Science center to help fellow students improve their problem-solving skills. As a member of the Society of Physics Students, he presented at the 2015 meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers. He was the treasurer and the president of the Math Club at Montgomery College and a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Club. He is currently the Secretary of the Engineering Student Council and the project chair of IEEE at the University of Maryland. As he is also currently serving the U.S. Army reserve, he is participating in the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) at the University of Maryland in order to earn a commission as a second lieutenant upon graduation. After completing his bachelor's degree, he will continue serving in the US military while pursuing a doctorate degree in electrical engineering.

She is currently pursuing a Mechanical Engineering degree with a minor in Engineering Leadership Development and is on track for graduation in December of 2018. Currently, she is encouraging her peers to do good for the university by her involvement with Food Recovery Network and MaryPIRG (Maryland Public Interest Research Group). Her goals are focusing on reducing waste in Maryland as well as educating the public on current government policies that may affect students. She is part of Alpha Omega Epsilon, the professional engineering sorority at University of Maryland. Alpha Omega Epsilon has numerous professional and philanthropic events to help strengthen relationships within the organization and also with the community. For her future goals she is interested in researching viable renewable energy for the benefit of future generations.