Brandon's Study Abroad In China

Hello family, friends, future friends, and anybody willing to help! My name is Brandon Chukwunyelu Okeke and I am a 1st year student in the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. I am currently a pursuing a Bachelor of Science and Arts degree as a Biology/Texas Interdisciplinary Plan major. I started this Go Fund Me to help raise funds for my study abroad trip in the Spring of 2017. My academic goals are to graduate in four years--taking courses that spark my interests, challenge my beliefs, and force me to rethink everything I know. My academic goals also include furthering my education by going to medical school to become a thoracic surgeon. The course, History of Social Entrepreneurship in the U.S and China, will create an environment to be innovative in my studies; I will examine how people in China and the United States address issues such as poverty, the rights of women, and health care. The Social Entrepreneurship in China course will allow me to work in the Dandelion School and witness how it operates as it combats China’s migrant education problem. My interests center around learning about people and education, so volunteering in the school will give me the opportunity to learn about the people and their what affects them. What this program offers me is not just to read about what is going on, but to firsthand see it with my own eyes and make an impact. The courses offered are unique ways of learning about China. Both courses take care of credits required of my degree plan and will also help me have a productive and life changing first summer of college. My personal goals are to seek happiness through doing what I love and to help others by identifying their problems and being innovative with finding solutions. My professional goals include becoming a thoracic surgeon and to being able to open a series of clinics in the less fortunate communities in my home country of Nigeria. I recognize the issues in my country and believe that it is my duty to be proactive in bettering the living conditions of my people. Studying abroad in China will compliment my personal goals by allowing me to be intern at the Dandelion School, which will place me in position to help understand one of China’s major issues and help with its’ proposed solution. Studying abroad also helps me reach my professional goals by creating an atmosphere like what I would expect as a surgeon running a clinic in Nigeria. I will encounter a large migrant population and learn what concerns them and how I can help. Knowing that social entrepreneurship requires passionate people who desire to change the world, being a part of the program will, in a sense, be the stepping stone for myself to make a change through opening a clinic for those who cannot afford the treatment that every human should be entitled to. I am very grateful for the help I've received to finance my higher education. There are 5 kids in my family, and 3 of us are in college. My parents work hard to keep us afloat. My father had to come out of retirement to help cover some of our college expenses. My older brother and I were blessed enough to both receive scholarships, allowing for my parents to be able to support my older sister, my two younger brothers, and family in Nigeria. Even still, money is tight in the Okeke household. My parents are unable to help me fund this trip. The opportunity to study abroad is one that I recognize that I cannot afford to pass up. Of course, this opportunity comes with a price. The $5,710 goal will cover my program fee, airfare, insurance, books, passport, and other abroad-related expenses. I created this fund to help make this study abroad a reality. I'm inviting all of you to be a part of my trip and am hopeful that my goal can be met through your concern and generosity. Whether big or small, any donation would be greatly appreciated. Sharing this with as many people possible would be wonderful, and I’ll forever be thankful for your efforts. Regardless of what you choose to do, I appreciate that you spent time considering my campaign and reading about my goals from the beginning to the end. Thank you for your time and remain unbelievably blessed! Brandon Chukwunyelu Okeke