Scholarship support helps WMU student bring technology access to rural Ghana

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Marian Clara Fueri, a senior in the Healthcare Services and Sciences program, is the recipient of the Alexandra Burgett Scholarship through the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS). She learned about the opportunity through an email shared with students and decided to apply after speaking with Janet S. Hahn about the requirements.

This scholarship, along with several others from local foundations, has significantly reduced Marian’s financial burden and allowed her to focus fully on her academics and community projects. “Local scholarships changed everything for me,” she says. “They gave me the freedom to learn without worrying about tuition.”

Marian is a member of the Lee Honors College and recently received its Research and Creative Scholarship to support her thesis. Her research is grounded in an independent study she completed in Ghana, where she collected functional donated laptops and established an ICT lab for a rural primary school in Efutu Kokoado. The lab provides students with essential technology access needed for national ICT examinations—resources that were previously unavailable in the community.

With the support she has received, Marian plans to expand this model to other underserved communities. She credits her success to mentors and supporters across WMU, including Mr. Timothy Smolenski, Ms. Lucy Kent-Bracken, CHHS faculty and staff, St. Jerome Catholic Church, the St. Vincent de Paul Society and her Lee Honors College research committee.

“I’m grateful for everyone who believed in me,” she says. “These opportunities have allowed me to grow—and to give something meaningful back.”