Mon, November 27, 2017 at 11:45 am GMT
Hello, TSF Sponsors!
This is Samantha, the Scholarship Coordinator at Orkeeswa School, updating you on Naserian's behalf. Naserian is now a high school senior, and has been studying very hard for her upcoming national examinations so that she can complete her higher studies in May. We are very proud of everything she has accomplished so far, and can't wait to see how she will continue to impact her community as an Orkeeswa graduate!
Recently, in her Career and College Counseling class, Naserian has been learning how to write resumes and cover letters so that she can be successful in her post-grad life. She also wrote a personal statement that articulates her future goals and the challenges that she has overcome to reach them, and I thought you would like to read it.
"One day, when I was in Form Two, my aunt was forced to get married when she was 15 years old. I was shocked and angry when this happened, and it was this moment that made me want to become a lawyer so that I can help young girls, like my aunt, who can’t accomplish their dreams of becoming someone in the future because they are forced into child marriage.
My aunt was doing very well in school; she finished her Standard Six in primary school and was going to start Standard Seven (5th grade). But in December, her father brought a man to marry her. He was old, and he had two wives, so my aunt was to be the third wife. Her father told her that she must marry the man with no argument. Because Maasai women are not allowed to make their own decisions for themselves, she agreed. The old man paid the bride price, and my aunt was taken away by him.
Watching this happen to my aunt, with her dreams now ruined, I felt that her problem was also my own. I was sad and angry because she was young and she wanted to become someone in the future, not a mother at a young age while other girls get to stay in school and continue studying. I thought of my aunt’s young sister, who was also in school. I thought that maybe she would also be forced into marriage, and that maybe I would, too. I tried to talk to my aunt, but she was afraid to go and find help from other people. We were young, so we did not know where to go and find help. This really hurt me a lot.
I will always remember that day, and that is why I want to become a lawyer who mostly helps Maasai girls who are affected by this bad cultural traditional custom. That is why I work so hard in school, and that is why I will fulfill my dreams of becoming a lawyer in my community."
Thank you for your continued support of Veronica and her education. Your support and encouragement makes her success possible!
With gratitude,
Samantha
