Help Jefferson Achieve His University Dream

Jefferson Rakotomalala is a remarkable and inspiring international student from Madagascar who is determined to break the cycle of poverty in his family and his country through education. His ultimate goal is to complete his bachelor's degree in the United States and then return to his home country to help his community in meaningful and transformative ways... He has a strong faith and feels the guidance of God in everything he does. The fact that he is here finishing his associate's degree from SFCC (he graduates June 14) is a miracle! He's had the support of scholarships, donations, mentors, on-campus work, and friends and family to help him achieve his first degree, and now he is seeking help for his next two years. Jefferson applied for the Jack Kent Cooke transfer scholarship and was a finalist for the $60,000 award, which would have paid for his next two years of university studies. Unfortunately, he did not win the highly competitive scholarship and is now working on ways to fund his bachelor's degree. He's been accepted to Hope College in Michigan and received a FULL tuition and fees scholarship for the two years (equivalent of $84,000!). However, room and board are not covered by the scholarship and the cost for two years would be approximately $30,000. Keep in mind, international students are NOT allowed to work off-campus (only on-campus part time) so any donations you are able to contribute to help Jefferson attend university and make his lifelong dream come true are sincerely appreciated - and he will thank you directly!

To learn more about Jefferson and his story, please see video and newspaper links below:

FAV News Article

Jefferson in the Spokesman-Review

SFCC Jefferson Story