Sasse Alumni Association holds first ever SOBA America Day in Sasse College

The US and Canada based Alumni of St. Joseph’s College, Sasse, Buea, Cameroon, also known as SOBA America, held its first ever SOBA America Day on the campus of their alma mater on Sunday, October 9th, 2016.

SOBA America President – Frederick Itoe, and Vice-President /Co-chair of the board for Sasse Alumni Association – Dr. Bertrand Fote, both flew in from the USA to preside over activities and hand scholarships to fifty (50) students.

The highly successful first SOBA America Day which started at 9 a.m. with mass left students, staff, parents, dignitaries and other guests already looking forward to next year’s event by the end of activities at 6p.m.

 

Highlights of the first SOBA America Day included:

 

Mass celebrated by Bishop Immanuel Bushu: The students and guests gathered in the school chapel for mass. His Lordship Bishop Bushu of Buea, proprietor of St. Joseph’s College, Sasse, led a team of clergy.

Sasse Alumni Association/SOBA America Scholarship Awards Ceremony: Fifty (50) students received awards in the presence of most of their parents. The awards were divided into three major categories.

Need-based awards were given to students with passing averages, who had demonstrated financial need in an essay submitted during the selection process. Some of the stories in their essays were heartbreaking, to say the least.

Merit-based awards were divided into conduct based and academic based. Because data from the previous academic year was used in the selection of recipients, incoming freshman students (Form 1 and Lower Sixth) were largely left out. Sasse Alumni Association, therefore, created a Lottery category for the freshman classes.

The prize money for the awards was paid directly into the students’ tuition by Sasse Alumni Association’s team, and copies of the receipts given to the students with their awards, and to the principal of St. Joseph’s college, Sasse.

Special meal for the students: The students were treated to a special catered meal with assorted soft drinks, courtesy of SOBA America.

The dignitaries, parents and other guests were also treated to lunch.

 

Meeting with the staff:

President Itoe and Chairman Fote held a one-hour meeting with the staff in their staff room.

Their main goal was to listen to the staff and ask one questions – what do you need to get Sasse College to have at least one student scores all A’s in the O’Level and A’Level, and how can SOBA America/Sasse Alumni Association help?

Mentoring session with graduating class (Form 5 and Upper sixth students):

President Itoe and Chairman Fote’s marathon day ended, at least officially, with a career advice and mentoring session with the graduating class.

The students asked several engaging questions about different career paths, study tips for academic excellence, studying in the United States and much more.

A word of Appreciation to our donors,

The Board of Directors of Sasse Alumni Association would like to thank all our patrons who donate so generously towards our scholarship endowment fund.

 

TThanks to your kindness, fifty (50) students were blessed with scholarships this year. Even more, students had a potentially life-changing moment because of your generosity.

 

You have touched not just the lives of these students who received scholarships but many more lives that will be impacted by these students as a result of your kindness.

 

THANK YOU!

We are still far from our goal of raising $250,000 to create this fund that will allow the scholarships to be given annually without interruption. Please consider supporting us again by making your tax-deductible gift online at our website https://www.sobamerica.org/scholarship-endowment-fund/ or our crowdfunding site https://www.crowdrise.com/helpeducateachildtoday/fundraiser/sassealumniassociati

SOBANLY,

 

Bertrand P. Fote, MD, MBA, FACEP

Co-Chair of the Board

Sasse Alumni Association