 Chukwudi
Chiaghana
Class of 2003-2004
Rotary Club of Atlanta
I get excited at the opportunity to put a
smile on someone’s face. The practice of creating a genuine smile on
people means giving my time, energy or resources in an attempt to
mitigate their melancholic countenance. Through the act of giving, I
experience immense satisfaction which transcends my greatest scholarly
achievements. As a result, I’m committed to becoming a paragon of beauty
at heart by using my finances, intellect and strength to invest in the
lives of people.
Growing up, I admired philanthropists who bequeath a great deal of their
wealth to serving others. I hoped that someday I would devote my later
years to philanthropy. I, however, did not expect an early start as a
sophomore in college. A perceptible current raced through my heart as I
learned in Fall 2004 that dropping out of college was imminent for a
dear friend, following the death of his father. His misfortune stirred
up a desire to establish a need-based scholarship for orphans. This led
me to stint myself of luxuries in order to save some money for my
friend. Because of the high exchange rate
between the U.S. and Nigerian currencies, I was able to pay my friend’s
tuition until his graduation in 2007 at Nnamdi Azikiwe University,
Nigeria. Since 2004, I continue to sponsor the education of two Nigerian
students annually and I am optimistic that, by impacting their lives, I
will help in eradicating illiteracy in Nigeria. Shortly afterwards,
I “adopted” an Ecuadorian child in 2005 through Children
International. By making a minimum monthly contribution, I am able to
provide my sponsored child with the basic necessities of life. These
are my greatest accomplishments!
As I continue on Rotary’s ideal of Service Above Self, I constantly
evaluate myself to ensure that my motives are right and hope that one
day I will become one of the great people that Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. referred to in one of his sermons: “Everybody can be great because
everybody can serve…you only need a heart full of grace, a soul
generated by love.” Having successfully graduated from Morehouse College
(May, 2007) with Summa Cum Laude in Biology, I now look forward to the
challenges my next career path will present. It is with great joy that I
inform the Georgia Rotary Student Program, who believed in me and gave
me the opportunity to study as an international student at Morehouse in
Fall 2003, that I have been accepted to Vanderbilt School of Medicine
for the 2008 entering class and have been awarded the dean’s scholarship
that covers my full tuition and fees. Thank you once again for playing a
significant part towards my struggle to reach my destiny. |
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