the my passion, my life scholarship story
Throughout my college career I was fortunate enough to work at several internships to further my professional development, but not everyone has the luxury of relocating to a new city to take advantage of these opportunities. I've met countless students who have made sacrifices when it comes to internships, either by taking out loans to afford relocation or simply turning down the offer because the move was too costly.
This realization led me to create the My Passion, My Life Scholarship. Its mission is to help a deserving college student or recent graduate who has accepted a full-time summer internship with $1,000 that will help subsidize relocation costs. Whether it is airfare, housing, transportation, groceries and/or course credit, it will support the individual in their journey of turning their passion into a life.
2018 passion scholar | ogochukwu obiagwu
Ogochukwu Obiagwu is a rising junior accounting student at The Ohio State University. She is
on track to earn her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and CPA eligibility by May
2020. Outside of the classroom, Ogochukwu engages in student groups and professional
development programs. Using her top strength of curiosity, at an early age she founded
ByOgochukwu, a startup dedicated to “Expressing cultural pride through fashion.” Her overall
passion for business, creative thinking, diversity & inclusion, and community shows in all of her
endeavors. Ogochukwu's "go-getter" and entrepreneurial mindset ignites her eagerness to
learn, experience new things, and improve her personal brand. She believes in the National
Association of Black Accountants (NABA) motto: "Lift as we Climb."
This summer she will be headed to NYC for her 2018 summer internship. She was selected as 1
of 2, and the only woman, to represent her school as a participant in the 2018 EY Launch
Internship Program (NYC). While excited about the NYC internship opportunity, she initially felt
burdened by footing the costs associated with the expensive transition. She turned to
scholarship programs to help make the opportunity more feasible. Ogochukwu is grateful for the
ByBuku My Passion, My Life Scholarship program. For her, this scholarship will reduce the
financial burden of relocation from Ohio to NY. Interning at EY, one of the largest professional
services firms in the world and is one of the "Big Four" accounting firms, will help her towards
reaching her career/academic goal of earning her CPA (Certified Public Accountant) license.
Ultimately, Ogochukwu will be turning her passion into a life, by using what she learns from her
experiences to educate, empower, and make an impact on others. In doing so, Ogochukwu is
more than thankful for the help and support of the 2018 My Passion, My Life Scholarship!
CONGRATULATIONS OGOCHUKWU ON BEING OUR 2018 PASSION SCHOLAR!
2018 scholarship judges
The judges are responsible for evaluating the applicants and mentoring the recipient of the award
2017 passion scholar | kailyn sanders
In June of 2017, I announced Kailyn Sanders as the award's inaugural recipient and the first ever Passion Scholar!
Kailyn is a senior at the University of Georgia pursuing a bachelor's degree in advertising with a minor in communications. She will be graduating in May with cum laude distinction. Last year, she accepted a full-time summer internship with Droga5 in New York City, one of the top advertising agencies in the world. Kailyn excelled as an account management intern where she worked on the agency's CoverGirl account.
Since receiving the scholarship, Kailyn was awarded the American Advertising Federation's Most Promising Multicultural Student Award and was selected to participate in a three-month series of workshops led by Performics, a performance marketing agency that teach students how to develop and launch paid search campaigns. She was also selected to attend an exclusive two-day conference hosted by Publicis Media Groupe focused on giving rising industry leaders a real-world perspective on all of the key areas in advertising including sales, media strategy, planning, digital and analytics.
Kailyn's ultimate goal is to increase minority presence in the media and communications industry.
I am immensely proud of her growth and I am excited to watch her continue to turn that passion into a life.
Scholarship Submission Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ8JMYqZglE
Most Promising Multicultural Student Article: http://grady.uga.edu/kailyn-sanders-selected-promising-multicultural-student/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kailynmsanders/
CONGRATULATIONS KAILYN ON BEING OUR 2017 PASSION SCHOLAR!
