Opening Doors - University of Rhode Island

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University of Rhode Island Foundation “I was always aware that [my] family didn’t fully belong in the place where we lived. But I never doubted that we were a part of URI. The University was a sanctuary of tolerance and respect, a creative and dynamic place filled with people of diverse backgrounds who embraced intellectual inquiry and celebrated the life of the mind.” Jhumpa Lahiri, Hon. ’01, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Interpeter of Maladies, The Namesake & Unaccustomed Earth page 4
Opening Doors and Setting New Records ANNUAL REPORT FY 2009 Verrecchia Challenge Grant Opening Doors [a student’s story] Juliet Banga ‘11 From the time Juliet Banga came to America to attend Wiley College in 2002 from her native Zimbabwe, paying tuition has been challenging. Upon arriving, Banga had only enough money for one semester. “My father sold everything he had to send me to this country. Luckily, I was nominated for a scholarship that was renewed each semester, but it was still a big struggle to stay. I worked every part-time job I could get and sent money home to my family. They can go days without eating.” Through it all, Banga never lost sight of her dream of becoming a physical therapist. “When I was 10 years old, my aunt had a stroke. A physical therapist provided her with an exercise routine. I devised a gym on a tree using rocks and cloths and knew then this was what I loved.” Her laser-sharp focus on this goal brought her to URI, where she enrolled in the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree program. “I wasn’t sure how I’d pay the $30,000 tuition, but I knew that if God brought me this far, he wouldn’t leave me alone.” Banga’s prayers were answered. She was awarded an assistantship at a local hospital that paid $15,000. Her worries about paying the balance were eliminated just two weeks before the start of her first semester when Associate Dean of the Graduate School Harold Bibb let her know that private donors paid the remaining $15,000. Today, a URI Foundation/Graduate School Minority Fellowship covers her tuition. Her final year begins in a matter of months, and Banga has faith that she will obtain the financial resources. “The people in my department are the best. They are people of God.” With dogged determination, she has come far from a country where poverty and AIDS claim many. With dogged determination, she has come far from a country where poverty and AIDS claim many. The same steely resolve will guide her through her final chapter so that she can help others and serve as a role model. “I want to work with cardiopulmonary patients after graduation and give them back their lives. I love making a difference, and I’m thinking of getting into ministry, also, to (positively) affect girls’ lives.” page 5
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Opening Doors - University of Rhode Island

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