Bola's Education Fund
Donation protected
Hi, I'm Bolanle Saliu. I hail from Nigeria and am currently finishing my last two semesters of undergraduate school at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri.
I am raising money to finish my undergraduate degree, the first step in achieving my dream of being a doctor and opening a free clininc serving moms and children in Nigeria.
The amount I am seeking to raise will cover the remaining portion of my Fall of 2015 tuition, my Spring of 2016 tuition, and my last semester textbook costs. As an international student I can’t obtain financial aid beyond the scholarships I already have, and I have limited work options.
Rockhurst has been extremely generous to me, allowing me to pay the rest of fall tuition late without removing me from my classes. I need to pay the remaining part as soon as possible, and will need to have money for spring tuition and textbooks by early January.
Over the past year and a half God has provided for my tuition in miraculous ways through friends, church family, others. I still need nearly $11K in order to graduate with my B.S. in Science in May 2016. A friend suggested GoFundMe, and I am excited and already thankful to see how God will continue to provide for my needs through this medium.
A friend conducted a little “interview” about why I want to be a doctor and my future plans. Enjoy reading!
When did you first know you wanted to be a doctor?
My little brother died in my mother’s arms in 2005, just one month before his third birthday. The way the doctors handled his situation wasn’t the greatest. Experiencing death so personally – especially in a situation that possibly could have been prevented – birthed my passion for medicine. I have always had a love of children and a nurturing spirit. The passion for medicine went right along with those things.
What continued to confirm that medicine was the path for you?
Seeing other families experience sickness and death around me continued to shape my desire to help be a doctor. Too often those deaths could have been prevented by better care, vaccines, or education. At home, there are few health insurance options and the people who need it most don’t have access to it. If you don’t have money, you can’t get treatment.
Growing up I continually saw the need for quality healthcare, yet saw so many suffer because they didn’t have the money for vaccines or preventative care – much less for when something really went wrong. Many moms died shortly after birth, including the wife of a soldier who lived with us.
I encountered obstacles along the way as I desired to pursue medicine. At one point my school conducted aptitude tests that determined what type of classes one got to take from that point forward. I didn’t pass the science test. I was devastated. My mom talked to the school and signed a form that allowed me to stay in the science program, with the school’s warning they held no responsibility if I failed. To their surprise, I was in the top 5 students in that class.
Another big obstacle came when I was nearly done with my Associates’ degree and getting ready to come to Rockhurst to finish my bachelor’s. A family member had been paying for my education, but suddenly had to stop. I was left with a degree that would be useless in Nigeria and no money. I stepped forward in faith, and God has confirmed my path by providing for my housing, living costs, and tuition thus far in amazing ways.
What is your future dream for being a doctor? What do you hope to accomplish?
After I finish medical school and residency, I want to be employed at a hospital in the U.S. and start a free clinic back home in Nigeria that primarily serves moms, babies, and children. That’s the population of people among whom I saw the most death growing up. I hope to build partnerships with people and organizations that can help fund, launch, staff, and supply the clinic. Ideally will practice medicine in the U.S. and take regular trips to the clinic in Nigeria.
I want this clinic to help provide vaccines, free education on health and wellness, and excellent care to women and children. I want to give them access to the care they don’t currently have. Ultimately, I want to educate and empower women to better care for their children and themselves.
Why do you think you will be a good doctor?
People have always told me I am compassionate and nurturing. The passion for medicine is very personal to me. I’m not merely interested in it from a scientific standpoint – although I do find the human body incredibly fascinating – or because it is a good career, or because of the money. I genuinely want to help, educate, and empower people.
That passion has already withstood the trials it has taken to get here. I believe it will continue to fuel me to get through medical school, to learn as much as I can, to serve my patients to the fullest of my ability, and to seek the betterment of the world around me through medicine.
What type of medicine do you want to practice?
I was dead set on pediatrics from the time my brother died until last spring, when a friend asked me to attend her birth as her doula. Witnessing birth was a powerful experience. How God creates a human inside a woman’s body and has designed a woman’s body to grow, nurture, and birth that child is amazing. OB/GYN would be a melding of my passion for women and children, but I am still equally drawn to pediatrics and am praying God makes the path clear as I proceed forward.
What are your plans for medical school after graduating from Rockhurst University?
I will be applying to medical schools in the Caribbean in May. If I get in to one of those, I will start in Fall of 2016. I will also apply to schools in the U.S. beginning in June. Those programs would start in Fall of 2017. I will also be applying for OPT, a work permit program that would allow me to work in the U.S. for up to 17 months in a field related to my degree. If I end up with a year off between finishing undergrad and beginning medical school, this would allow me to gain some work experience in the biological sciences field.
Why does this campaign mean so much to you?
I have experienced what it is like to watch someone you love die and not be able to do anything to stop it. If someone is suffering in front of me again, I want to have the knowledge and ability to do everything in my power to stop it. I might not save every mom or child, but every decrease in death is a win, and every step in better care and education for underprivileged families is also a win. I believe I have a role to play in achieving those things.
I am raising money to finish my undergraduate degree, the first step in achieving my dream of being a doctor and opening a free clininc serving moms and children in Nigeria.
The amount I am seeking to raise will cover the remaining portion of my Fall of 2015 tuition, my Spring of 2016 tuition, and my last semester textbook costs. As an international student I can’t obtain financial aid beyond the scholarships I already have, and I have limited work options.
Rockhurst has been extremely generous to me, allowing me to pay the rest of fall tuition late without removing me from my classes. I need to pay the remaining part as soon as possible, and will need to have money for spring tuition and textbooks by early January.
Over the past year and a half God has provided for my tuition in miraculous ways through friends, church family, others. I still need nearly $11K in order to graduate with my B.S. in Science in May 2016. A friend suggested GoFundMe, and I am excited and already thankful to see how God will continue to provide for my needs through this medium.
A friend conducted a little “interview” about why I want to be a doctor and my future plans. Enjoy reading!
When did you first know you wanted to be a doctor?
My little brother died in my mother’s arms in 2005, just one month before his third birthday. The way the doctors handled his situation wasn’t the greatest. Experiencing death so personally – especially in a situation that possibly could have been prevented – birthed my passion for medicine. I have always had a love of children and a nurturing spirit. The passion for medicine went right along with those things.
What continued to confirm that medicine was the path for you?
Seeing other families experience sickness and death around me continued to shape my desire to help be a doctor. Too often those deaths could have been prevented by better care, vaccines, or education. At home, there are few health insurance options and the people who need it most don’t have access to it. If you don’t have money, you can’t get treatment.
Growing up I continually saw the need for quality healthcare, yet saw so many suffer because they didn’t have the money for vaccines or preventative care – much less for when something really went wrong. Many moms died shortly after birth, including the wife of a soldier who lived with us.
I encountered obstacles along the way as I desired to pursue medicine. At one point my school conducted aptitude tests that determined what type of classes one got to take from that point forward. I didn’t pass the science test. I was devastated. My mom talked to the school and signed a form that allowed me to stay in the science program, with the school’s warning they held no responsibility if I failed. To their surprise, I was in the top 5 students in that class.
Another big obstacle came when I was nearly done with my Associates’ degree and getting ready to come to Rockhurst to finish my bachelor’s. A family member had been paying for my education, but suddenly had to stop. I was left with a degree that would be useless in Nigeria and no money. I stepped forward in faith, and God has confirmed my path by providing for my housing, living costs, and tuition thus far in amazing ways.
What is your future dream for being a doctor? What do you hope to accomplish?
After I finish medical school and residency, I want to be employed at a hospital in the U.S. and start a free clinic back home in Nigeria that primarily serves moms, babies, and children. That’s the population of people among whom I saw the most death growing up. I hope to build partnerships with people and organizations that can help fund, launch, staff, and supply the clinic. Ideally will practice medicine in the U.S. and take regular trips to the clinic in Nigeria.
I want this clinic to help provide vaccines, free education on health and wellness, and excellent care to women and children. I want to give them access to the care they don’t currently have. Ultimately, I want to educate and empower women to better care for their children and themselves.
Why do you think you will be a good doctor?
People have always told me I am compassionate and nurturing. The passion for medicine is very personal to me. I’m not merely interested in it from a scientific standpoint – although I do find the human body incredibly fascinating – or because it is a good career, or because of the money. I genuinely want to help, educate, and empower people.
That passion has already withstood the trials it has taken to get here. I believe it will continue to fuel me to get through medical school, to learn as much as I can, to serve my patients to the fullest of my ability, and to seek the betterment of the world around me through medicine.
What type of medicine do you want to practice?
I was dead set on pediatrics from the time my brother died until last spring, when a friend asked me to attend her birth as her doula. Witnessing birth was a powerful experience. How God creates a human inside a woman’s body and has designed a woman’s body to grow, nurture, and birth that child is amazing. OB/GYN would be a melding of my passion for women and children, but I am still equally drawn to pediatrics and am praying God makes the path clear as I proceed forward.
What are your plans for medical school after graduating from Rockhurst University?
I will be applying to medical schools in the Caribbean in May. If I get in to one of those, I will start in Fall of 2016. I will also apply to schools in the U.S. beginning in June. Those programs would start in Fall of 2017. I will also be applying for OPT, a work permit program that would allow me to work in the U.S. for up to 17 months in a field related to my degree. If I end up with a year off between finishing undergrad and beginning medical school, this would allow me to gain some work experience in the biological sciences field.
Why does this campaign mean so much to you?
I have experienced what it is like to watch someone you love die and not be able to do anything to stop it. If someone is suffering in front of me again, I want to have the knowledge and ability to do everything in my power to stop it. I might not save every mom or child, but every decrease in death is a win, and every step in better care and education for underprivileged families is also a win. I believe I have a role to play in achieving those things.
Organizer
Bolanle Saliu
Organizer
Kansas City, MO
