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Another new beneficiary of ASSET, Lillian N., is also a student at Uganda Christian University – Mukono. Lillian is an extremely hardworking and industrious person. She is pursuing a Bachelors degree in Community Health and just started the program in August 2009.
Here is what Lillian had to say when we talked to her.
ASSET: Tell me about your family and upbringing.
Lillian N: I am the first of four biological siblings; I have two sisters and one brother. My mother also supported three orphan cousins in addition to the four of us and we grew up with them as siblings; spending most of our childhood and adolescence years together.
Our father was killed during the Milton Obote political regime; I was only six years old and our mother raised us as a single parent. She is a trained nurse but didn’t earn enough money to pay for me to pursue a degree course at the university.
ASSET: How far have you gone in your education?
Lillian N: My formal educational attainment is a Diploma level certificate.
ASSET: Describe your educational goals.
Lillian N: I have two educational goals; first to obtain a degree in community health and become a trained community health worker, and then later, attain a master’s degree in Public Health to enable me to train as a community health specialist and professional, able to plan, design, implement and evaluate health interventions.
ASSET: Describe your career goals.
Lillian N: My goal is to work as a coordinator for rural based programs in community based health care in the next fours years. After attaining more experience I hope to manage community based health care services across health programs to include nutrition, family planning and infectious diseases, particularly HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
ASSET: How do you think this scholarship will help you achieve these goals?
Lillian N: Funding from this sponsorship will go towards my tuition to enable me obtain a Bachelors degree in Community Health. After that I will be able to earn more money and it will be easier to find employment so I can contribute to the health care of my community.
ASSET: Why do you think you are a good candidate for an ASSET scholarship?
In spite of my limited resources, I have always made use of every learning opportunity to better myself. I am a good candidate because I believe I will be able to put this opportunity to maximum use and I will work hard, like I have done in the past, to succeed.
ASSET: What other financial support do you receive for your studies?
None at this point in time
ASSET: Provide an estimate of the financing you need to get back on the path to completing your study program
Lillian N: UGX 1,193,000 (about USD 600) per semester
ASSET: Describe a challenge that you have faced in the past and what you did to overcome it.
Lillian N: I have two challenges to share; they are both about my work.
First of all, in the past I have worked with particularly competitive people. While, I appreciate that competition is healthy, I sometimes found it unhealthy and antagonistic. I talked to my colleagues and helped them realize that working, as a team instead of working against each other, would yield better results.
Secondly, there were times at work when my organization shifted work priorities and I felt overwhelmed. During such times I would re-prioritize my work, reorganize my schedule and mobilize my colleagues .to make sure we still met our goals.
ASSET: What are your interests? What do you do in your free time?
I am interested in working with people to solve their issues. I am interested in supporting local initiatives, and I like being part of social health research. My areas of interest are nutrition, infectious diseases, and family planning. I enjoy watching “action” movies, listening to gospel and traveling.