Catalyze Benny's U.S. Graduate School Opportunity

Hi, I'm Kimberly Johnson, a retired emergency physician. I'm organizing this GoFundMe campaign for Benny Munyandi, an early career research scientist from Namibia.

How Benny and I met

This summer I fulfilled my dream of volunteering for a big cat project at the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia. I worked in their state-of-the-art genetics' lab, a return to my roots as a former molecular biologist. Living and working side-by-side with Benny and the other members of the genetics team for 2 months, we worked hard, laughed a lot, and became friends. Now, Benny has shared the exciting news that he has been accepted into a graduate school program in America, a dream come true! However, he is from a low-income family, hence generating the funds needed to attend is a big challenge.

Why helping Benny matters to me

I've enjoyed a life of amazing opportunity and good work that benefits others. Early in my career development, the generosity of friends provided much-needed funds to pursue my dreams. I feel honored and privileged to be able now to "pay it forward" in such a tangible way, by helping Benny pursue his career goal of medically related genetics research, so that he can be of service to his fellow humans. Benny is bright, articulate, highly motivated, a great teacher, and has a wonderful sense of humor. He has already proven his determination and ability to overcome obstacles to pursue his dreams.

Estimated costs for the MS program at Sam Houston State University

How your donations will be managed

I AM THRILLED THAT A GENEROUS ANONYMOUS DONOR WILL MATCH EACH DONATION, UP TO THE GOAL OF $12,954! This will provide Benny with full funding for his 1st year of graduate school. Should Benny receive financial support from SHSU, any "surplus" amount from the GoFundMe campaign will be applied to his 2nd (final) year of grad school.

Kimberly will cover GoFundMe fees, so all donor dollars will go to Benny's education costs.

Kimberly has established an account at the Bank of the San Juans in Durango Colorado. GoFundMe donations will be transferred to this account and held there until SHSU educational costs are due; funds will be sent directly to SHSU.

Please join me in supporting Benny's ambitious goal of earning a Master's Degree in the U.S., which will significantly advance his career as a research scientist.

HERE IS BENNY TELLING HIS STORY

My background

I grew up on a rural farm in a small village called Ruacana, near Namibia's border with Angola. In our family of 10 with 8 children, my father worked a low-wage job as a driver; my mom was a stay-at-home mom. Surrounded by undeveloped wilderness, I pondered explanations for the world around me. With few external influences pushing me forward, the natural world became my inspiration, leading me to study science. There were times my parents told me to give up science and just become a teacher, nurse, or mechanic, the commonly known careers in our community. However, even though they did not have the opportunity to finish high school, my parents valued education and made sacrifices so all their children could go to school. My mother tongue is Otjindongona; I speak 2 other local languages, Otjiherero and Oshivambo. I am fluent in English.

It was a challenge to finance my undergraduate degree; I was fortunate to get a government loan that enabled me to enroll as a first-generation college student. During my studies, I interned at the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) Genetics Laboratory. There I worked with carnivore samples, contributing to the ongoing research and conservation of cheetahs. In 2021, I completed my research thesis for my B.S. Honors Degree in Applied Biology entitled "Species verification and individual identification of scat samples detected by a scat detection dog using mitochondrial sequencing and microsatellite markers." I have been employed as a Genetics Laboratory Assistant at CCF since January 2022.

Aspiration to further my studies abroad

I have always wanted to further my studies outside Namibia. Working in a research facility which is an international study abroad site has inspired me to study in a culturally diverse country where I could have experiences that I haven't been exposed to in Namibia. Because of this, and encouragement from friends from the U.S., I decided to look into biology Masters' programs at U.S. universities.

The educational opportunity I'm seeking funding for

I'm extremely happy and overwhelmed that I have been admitted to Sam Houston State University's (SHSU) Biology MS program to begin in the Fall of 2023, under the thesis supervision of Dr. Mardelle Atkins, who researches the genetic networks behind tumor development. Dr. Atkin's research covers two major topics of interest to me. The first is cell signaling pathways, which have always fascinated me. The second is the opportunity to do cancer research, which I am extremely passionate about.

My ultimate career goal

My dream is to pursue genetics research with medical applications that can benefit people. I would love to contribute to cancer research, finding solutions to challenging problems.

Financial challenges to overcome

My aspiration to study abroad has been hampered by the reality that I am financially disadvantaged. Though I'm a careful money saver, when I converted my Namibian salary to US dollars, it got reduced to atoms. However, the opportunity to attend grad school at SHSU will not go to waste if I humble myself and admit I need help to fund my studies. I am looking into scholarships, loans, graduate assistantships, and on-campus employment to help offset the costs (I will be on an F1 visa that will limit me from working off campus), but this will not be enough.

With your generosity, I will be able to achieve my career goals and inspire other young people from my community who are struggling to see a way out of financial hardship.

Thank you!