Welcoming new CROSO Scholars!

Written by Molly MacCready, CROSO's Executive Director

We are so excited to announce our new CROSO Scholars who will be starting their academic programs this year! Stephen, Sam, Derrick, Mercy, Brenda, Denis, and Brian were the top applicants this year and we are thrilled for them to be starting their programs. 

Among these students, we have one returning CROSO Scholar, Nalwoga Brenda. Brenda completed her diploma in midwifery in 2017 and we are proud to be supporting her as she now pursues her bachelor's degree in nursing. Brenda was inspired to pursue this additional education because she has seen a lack of senior nursing officers in her district. When it comes to helping with difficult deliveries, senior midwives and nursing officers can make a difference in saving the lives of both the mothers and their babies.

The remaining six new scholars are all new to CROSO and we are eager to begin supporting them on their journeys. We will be sharing more of their stories with you in the months to come, but we'll share a short snippet for each to start:

• Baraza Stephen was inspired to become a lawyer because he has been disturbed by the "high rate of injustice and corruption" in his community and he has seen that "the poor are the ones that suffer most." Stephen is interested in being part of the solution and hopes to promote justice in Uganda.
• Dimokoli Sam has been interested in business since childhood says he has a "business mind" and that he likes working with numbers and figures. Sam also recognizes that if he's able to successfully grow businesses, he'll have the opportunity to provide employment opportunities for others in his community as well.
• Gidudu Derrick was significantly involved in his entrepreneurship club at secondary school (he served as their treasurer) and after graduation from secondary school, he found a job at a local coffee shop and was able to gain additional skills in customer relations and financial management. Derrick is looking forward to building on his existing skills and experiences throughout his bachelor's degree.
• Kateme Mercy is a focused and determined student who recognizes that the road ahead will not be made easy. Mercy acknowledged that there are few female engineers in Uganda, but said, "I want to be among the few female engineers and I know I will make the best in our country."
• Opio Denis said, "I want to work in this field because it is marketable and I will be able to get a job which will help support my family and helping my sisters, brothers, who are also struggling with education." He went on to discuss the health implications possible when communities of people are more aware of their health statuses.
• Wokwaba Brian is actually already a university student, so CROSO's scholarship will be covering his second and third years of his bachelor's program. Brian shared that he is already a leader on campus where he serves as the class coordinator. He feels that gaining this education enables him to be employed within an existing corporation or to begin his own since he will be well-versed in business management.

Each year, we are inspired by the diverse interests and passions of our scholars and this year is no exception. We look forward to supporting each one of these young men and women on their journeys and are excited to see what will come next for them!