CM Scholarship 1

I am writing this letter to thank you first hand for this opportunity. When I first applied to Cornell, I knew a top-notch education would come with a hefty price tag but who knew how much Cornell has helped me financially where other schools did not. Coming from Columbus, Ohio, I am as laid back as my surroundings, yet I am still rooted to my ethnic background due to an African upbringing from my parents. My parents are originally from Ghana

and my older brother was born in the United Kingdom. So, my family is evenly spread between the two countries. My parents came [to] the United States in order to give me the best opportunity. Fortunately, I was accepted into one of the country's best universities and my number one choice. When looking at colleges, I picked the one that gave me the most choices, would give me the best academic experiences, and was very diverse; Cornell fit every one of those descriptions and more. I am exstatic to be studying Cultural Anthropology and Pre-Medicine in the fall.

Once I have graduated from Cornell and hopefully medical school, I want to study in Australia / New Zealand or somewhere in the South Pacific. I have always been interested in working with the indigenous people (i.e. Aborigines and the Maori people) and helping them advance their conditions and help lift them out of the horrible areas they live in now. People need to recognize what is happening to these human beings; I believe by helping the indigenous people, the experience will make me an even better doctor. Of course I just won't be studying in college, I hope to try-out for the cheerleading squad, however I want to wait until I am secure I can handle my studies and a time consuming activity like that successfully. However, all my dreams could never have become a reality if Cornell with their excellent financial aid and the Class of 1979 had not offered my family the financial support we needed.

Thank you again from the bottom of my heart.

Sincerely,
Erica Ogoe '07

Dear Class of 1979,
It has been more than a year, and I am still attending Cornell. That is an accomplishment in itself. Even though many people attend this university, they do not have the kind of support I have. I am proud of being a recipient of this scholarship, and meeting my sponsors last semester made me appreciate what I have been given. I have been given a chance to come to this fine institution and to one day go out into the world and make the same contribution. I am sad finishing up my last year of being, as I like to call it, the Class of '79's "baby." I feel I have grown in so many ways, and I have this scholarship to thank. I was the first to go off to college, inspiring my brothers [to] aspire to get a higher education. But with education comes cost, and I am proud to say that the scholarships that Cornell has given me (especially this one) have allowed me to stay and achieve my goals. I can't thank you all enough because you have given me something noone else could. Even though my scholarship is over after this year, I hope to stay in touch with all of you. I feel that I am a part of the Class of '79 and hope to meet you all again in the near future.

Thank you very much for two great years.

Sincerely,
Erica H. Ogoe