Cross Feature - Dr. Umar Johnson - Book Raffle

Hello everyone,

Welcome to the first post for the Help Me Scholarship Foundation.  The foundation in detail will be explained at a later date has a 2 part fundraiser aspect aside from the fund.  I will be sharing 1 part of the fundraiser; this is an ongoing fundraiser for the Frederick Douglas Marcus Garvey Academy (FDMG Academy).

The FDMG Academy is a residential school in Virginia that Dr. Umar Johnson is trying to acquire for our black boys in America.  Seeing firsthand what is happening to my young princes hurts my heart then my mind,  Which makes me ask myself, what can I do for my people?  How can I help? Can I be inconvenienced?  If you continue to follow this blog, you'll see us answer those questions and so many more.

Below is a video explaining my first online Book Raffle fundraiser!  I don't know if this has been done before but I can tell you that I'm going to do it 5 times, so by the 2nd or 3rd time, I should be a pro.

Until next time......Shauntay
Thank You Power in One for my shirt & bracelet.  They showcased at the Las Vegas "Dr. Umar Johnson Event"

The Time is Now!!

Peace & Blessings,

Have you ever asked yourself will I ever have the time to do something I've always wanted?  Are you a student and want to study abroad or do you just want to travel to Namibia, or South Africa ?  When should you study abroad?  Why should you study abroad?

The time is Now!!  Studying abroad will most definitely change your life!  The spring semester is quickly approaching, so you don't want to miss out.

A study abroad experience is one that is becoming essential for University students as they develop their future careers. 

 

Please review the information on our web site, for study abroad opportunities to South Africa (University of Johannesburg) and Namibia (service learning). We offer a partial scholarship for students interested in studying for the Spring 2016 term.

 

We are currently accepting applications for the Spring, 2016 semester.  If you are interested in studying in Summer or Fall 2016, you can submit an application for pre-approval.

 

A couple of items you need to do in order to study abroad in the Spring.  First, obtain a passport  and secondly, meet with the study abroad advisory at your university Study abroad office. They will assist and guide you through all the processes.

 

Take care, remember to keep your GPA up, and we look forward to working with you on this opportunity of a lifetime! - A message from the director of the program.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to email, dsanders@studyabroadtoafrica.org.

Until next time.....Shauntay

Norfolk State University Study Abroad Fair

Hello World,

As many of you are aware, I promote Study Abroad to Africa and recently had the pleasure of participating in the study abroad fair at Norfolk State University, an HBCU in Virginia.  I love seeing this love sign when leaving the airport.  Well, Virginia is for lovers.

Promoting this program is always an honor, not just because I'm still recovering from my surgery, yet strong enough to travel, also because I believe in the program & get to meet some amazing individuals along the way.  When one studies abroad, you find yourself because you're in a different country and will encounter instances that will undoubtedly make you stronger if you let them.  The students were also able see a familiar face from last year.  I even met a great group of young black entrepreneurs that I recently featured here called 'The Arts.'

I'm telling you if you're in college, live on campus, and want to study abroad then now is the time!  Did you know that your Pell grant (if applies) can help pay for the program?  Don't wait until you're a senior, you can take classes equivalent to the classes you'd take at your home school; you'll just be in another country soaking up other cultures.  Will you join me in being a study abroad alumni?  Visit StudyAbroadtoAfrica.org for more details.

Until next time.....Shauntay

Polytechnic of Namibia Hotel & Tourism School

Hello World,

There are a lot of things that happen behind the scenes when it comes to studying abroad.  It can definitely feel overwhelming but it's a big step in the right direction so it will come with some hurdles.  This is when you'll see strength you didn't even know you had.  Since I studied in the summer, I had to depend on scholarships to get me there.  I applied for 5 and received 6 in total.  I guess it was meant for me to go.  In the meantime, I packed and did as much research as I could on the program I'd be affiliated with and the country I was traveling to.  With me the most was diligence; as long as I did what I was supposed to do, everything worked out in the end.

Once we were all there, we got to see where we were would be staying when we weren't at our placement sites. The director of the program, Dr. Sanders only puts us in places she would stay.  As you can see, she did us right!

Welcome to the Polytechnic of Namibia Hotel & Tourism school.  Everyone's service was amazing, you'd never know you were at a school.  These American girls love to eat and the chef, who was a woman by the way, made sure everything was great.  Quiet as kept, it wasn't until I came to Namibia that I tried so many different vegetables and fell in love.

The program consisted of a tour around the city of Windhoek, including the Prime Minister's office & garden, along with some historic sites.

It was finally time to head off to our placements sites.  One student was 1 hour away, another 3 hours always, but I was 8 hours away in a car and 1 hour on an airplane.  So, here I was being placed on another air plane.  Can't you tell how much I love flying?!

Next Stop, The SOS Children's Village, Ondangwa.  Until next time......Shauntay

Welcome One, Welcome All

Hello World,

My name is Shauntay and I'd like to officially welcome you to a blog tailored to expose each and every one of you to a program I participated in, Study Abroad to Africa.  Once I became a full-time student, one of my dreams came true and I traveled to the motherland, Africa.  I can't tell you my whole story in one post, but as you follow this blog, my story will evolve.  My dream is for you to see this and want to experience your own journey.  This is the time....your time.....

My whole journey was and is a unique one.  It started off from JFK in New York to Johannesburg, South Africa; a 14 1/2 straight flight.  The craziest thing about being on an airplane that long was that I had never been on an airplane before.  I also learned that I love to fly.

Before I ever stepped foot on the plane, I wrote essays and applied for scholarships because I was still an unemployed, full time student with great grades. Those same grades earned me an invitation to join PTK International Honor Society. I often tell others not to worry so much about the big picture just continue to take it one step at a time.  I used this same motto to keep me calm and low and behold, I received over $10,000 in scholarships.

3 of us started out participating in the program, and closer to the time we were supposed to leave, another young lady joined us.  We all came from different backgrounds, states and majors including nursing, business, journalism, and tourism & conservation.

The program also consisted of a tour around the city of Windhoek (pronounced Vind-hook), the Okapuka Game Drive, and time with the Director of the program, Dr. Deborah Sanders.

Stay tuned because there's more to come......Shauntay
StudyAbroadtoAfrica.org for more details on the program.