Inaugural Lakhani Scholar Admitted ED to GWU
December 22, 2019
Dear friends,
It is with great joy that I write with a heartwarming success story. Lisa David, our inaugural Lakhani Scholarship winner, was admitted to her first choice Early Decision school, George Washington University.
While I feel invested in the success of every one of our students, I’m especially thrilled for Lisa’s achievement. As some of you know, she and her mother have overcome enormous obstacles to provide Lisa access to a great education. Lisa hails from Liberia in West Africa, from which her mother emigrated in just 2014. Lisa’s family resides in inner city Atlanta, in a zip code with one of the highest HIV/AIDS concentrations in the country. Having begun high school in primarily ESOL courses, Lisa has risen to the very highest tier in her class. Through my work with Lisa, I’ve been humbled seeing her navigate a lack of resources that I and probably most of our fee-paying clients take for granted. For instance, it is no easy task for Lisa to find internet access to conduct a Skype call with one of our expert coaches. At home, her internet is not reliable, nor is it a given that she can find a quiet space to work. There are other children in the house for whom Lisa has a partial caretaking responsibility. At school, her counselors have generously allotted Lisa quiet space to work, but the internet connection there drops regularly. There have been numerous times that Lisa has shown up to a Skype meeting, eager to expand her SAT skills, or to further her college essays, and she cannot access the internet.
Despite these obstacles, Lisa has earned a place on Carver High School’s Principal’s List, won her school’s Professionalism Award, and made Math and ELA Honor Roll. These achievements have come alongside a competitive internship at Atlanta’s Human and Civil Rights Museum, Varsity Volleyball, volunteering at her church, and even working part time at her aunt’s salon.
Sponsoring more scholarships:
Through Lakhani Scholars, Lisa received, at zero cost to her family, $10,000 of our coaching services: High School Career Coaching, SAT/ACT Coaching, High School Character Coaching, and College Admissions Coaching. Many of our clients know that I have a personal goal to one day serve as many Lakhani Scholars students as fee paying students. A number of our clients have already expressed interest in supporting this mission. If you find Lisa’s story inspiring, I hope you’ll join me in supporting Lakhani Scholars, to allow access to our specialized coaching to more high achieving low income students. You are welcome to email me directly to discuss a sponsorship of Lakhani Scholars, including the possibility of a recurring named scholarship.
Spread the word:
Our 2019 scholarship winner, Fernanda Padilla Colon, in fact heard about Lakhani Scholars through Squash Drive, a Bay Area nonprofit that one of our clients supports. If you know of any organization whose students might benefit from Lakhani Scholars, please send them information on the scholarship. The next round of applications, for high achieving low income sophomores, will be due May 1st, 2020.
I’m thrilled that an entirely different future will be open to students like Lisa, whose hard work I’m proud to support through Lakhani Scholars. Congratulations on your acceptance to GW, Lisa. Bravo.
With warm regards,
Hafeez Lakhani
Resources:
Lakhani Scholars Information - Applications will be open February 2020.