AfriMETRO 2010 Scholarship Award Recipients
Fatoumata Waggeh
(General College Category, Winning Candidate)
As first generation Gambian-American, born and raised in the Bronx, Dianne grew up in a humble and faithful Islamic household of six. Her parents emigrated from Gambia, West Africa in the late 1980s, filled with longings for the African sun assuaged by dreams of their children pursuing the American Dream. Dianne is a sophomore at New York University (NYU) pursuing a degree in International Relations and Africana Studies. After graduation, she plans to attend law school with an interest in International law and Public Interest law.
Her aspirations include being an agent of social equity. She desires to become an International Diplomat in the United Nations and an active player in international volunteerism. She strives to engage in areas of public service that deal with helping to improve the education and health of the United States global community. Her passions lie in aiding poor and marginalized communities, particularly developing countries in Africa, reach their highest potential. Though her ambitions may seem focused entirely on international concern, she also has an avid interest in addressing domestic issues. Because of the conditions she witnessed growing up in the Bronx, she wants to create a non-profit organization for the benefit of youth from low-income and immigrant communities. She wishes to provide these populations with educational and legal resources to eliminate some of the many social and economic injustices that inhibit their opportunities.
The entire AfriMETRO team congratulates Dianne as one of our inaugural 2010 AfriMETRO Scholarship Award recipient.
Dianne Mbeo
(General College Category, Runner-Up Candidate)
Dianne Mbeo came to University of Houston, Downtown a year and a half ago to the College of Business. At UHD, she has participated in several extracurricular activities, including mentorship at Junior Achievement and other community service activities. She currently holds the office of Secretary of the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP), and is a member of the International Business Association (IBA), both housed in the College of Business.
Outside of professional interests, she travels widely, is an avid reader, likes to swim, and enjoys living in Cary with her family. She has also pursued a few modeling assignments in the spirit of her passion for the art, and has been recognized as a finalist in her miss high school pageant in addition to placing in the miss Kenya USA scholarship pageant.
Her future aspirations are to pursue her MBA, with a concentration in Finance. Later, she plans to attend Law School and practice Corporate Law. The combination of her IT, Business, and Legal education will allow her to pursue her long-term goal of running her own religion-based modeling agency, and possibly expanding the job market for IT professionals from her own country by linking them with the global demand.
The entire AfriMETRO team congratulates Dianne as one of our inaugural 2010 AfriMETRO Scholarship Award recipient.
Professional Development
(High School Senior Category)
Ihuoma Nwaogwugwu was born in Benin City Nigeria. She moved to the US from there in 1998, and she has been living here ever since. She is a senior at Wheeler High School in Marietta, GA, and she is a member of their prestigious Math, Science, and Technology Magnet Program. She hopes to one day attend Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, and major in engineering. Ihuoma is very active in a variety of civic and cultural organizations including Habitat for Humanity, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Spanish Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Social Studies Honor Society, and she is an Ambassador Girl Scout. She is also on her school track & field team, plays basketball, takes part in oratory competitions, as well as many other extracurricular activities, and still finds time to tutor her fellow classmates. Outside of all of these commitments, she enjoys traveling, reading, writing, and playing the trombone.
The entire AfriMETRO team congratulates Ihuoma as one of our inaugural 2010 AfriMETRO Scholarship Award recipient.
