As the first member of his family to attend university, Rufus Alubankudi knows a thing or two about trail-blazing. But what really sets the third-year Chemical Engineering student apart is the adversity he has overcome on the road from Africa’s Ivory Coast to ±«Óătv.
The 12th of 17 siblings, Alubankudi has always had his eye on the prize – namely, a career as a medical surgeon. “I’ve wanted to be a surgeon since I was in elementary school,” he says. “I was inspired by the story of Dr. Ben Carson, who became famous for his ground-breaking work separating conjoined twins. His story is inspiring to me because Dr. Carson grew up in a poor neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan, where he overcame poverty and adversity. And now he’s a director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital.”
The first step towards realizing his dream has been to come to Canada and ±«Óătv to pursue his undergraduate degree. “I chose ±«Óătv because it is a very international university and there is a strong African community in Nova Scotia,” he says. “I thought Nova Scotia would be a little like the Ivory Coast because it’s surrounded by water – but I didn’t count on the temperature!”
He also didn’t count on having to work almost full-time in order to cover his living expenses while enrolled as a full-time Science student, though “I did receive an entrance scholarship of $1,500 the first year and a bursary in second year,” says Alubankudi, who switched to the Engineering program in second year.
“However, as time went on, I was finding it increasingly difficult to balance my full-time studies with work. It got to the point where I couldn’t realistically sustain myself here in Canada any longer and I was resigned to going back to Africa with only a diploma in Engineering.”
Receiving the Slaight Family Scholarship has literally meant the difference between realizing his dream of a ±«Óătv education – or not.
“All I can do is sincerely express my gratitude to the donor,” says Alubankudi. “This scholarship has literally made a world of difference to me.”
This article is part of the ±«Óătv Difference series, exploring what the power of philantrophy means to the university and introducing and showcasing some of the 50 innovative projects in development. Learn more at .
Full Bold Ambitions coverage
- Dal News:
- Dal News:
- Dal News:
- Dal News:
- Timeline:
- YouTube:
- On the web: