NYMA Give and Go Scholarship Fund

Help Thapelo and Other Students Like Him Continue Their Education.


Thapelo Shika is originally from South Africa and now is a cadet at the New York Military Academy. His love and passion for Basketball originally brought him to NYMA but his father also pushed him towards the campus because he wanted him to have a disciplined mind. As a player he learned to envision what he wanted to happen in the game and soon started applying that skill to the rest of his life. “Instead of asking my country to be better I asked myself to be better,” Thapelo said, and NYMA seemed like it could be the place where he could lose bad habits and gain new opportunities. When he was offered a scholarship to NYMA, he jumped at the opportunity.

Since that time Thapelo has acquired discipline, perseverance and has cultivated love of learning. He is an outstanding student athlete and has embraced his role as a leader. The hard thing about basketball - Thapelo says - is that you have to keep going when you are tired or the opposition looks bigger and stronger; this is the same perseverance against adversity that NYMA teaches throughout the day.  He cites other parallels between cadet leadership training and his basketball practice  As a cadet leader, it is necessary to envision how to accomplish a task that officers have been assigned before asking the cadets to carry it out.  This is the same vision that Thapelo sees he needs to implement a play on the court and help his team complete it - the two settings are complementary. That is why the Superintendents Scholarship for Scholar athletes exists because the practice of leadership, the athletics and the academics all complements to make a person of excellence. "It is a long way to come for school at such a young age but," Thapelo  says, "that although he misses his home, he came to become better in all respects," and Thapelo feels, "this is the right place to excel."

Hello all, Thank You for taking your time and efforts support the Superintendents Scholarship for Scholar Athletes . Your contribution will allow Thapelo and other students like him to continue their education. Join me in making a difference? I'm raising money for New York Military Academy, and any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.

More information about New York Military Academy:
Also See Nyma.Org