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C/D NEV. r S 9 INSIDE MOREHOUSE, OCTOBER 2012 Opportunity of a Lifetime 10 African Students Receive Scholarships to Become Men of Morehouse BY KARA FENNER WALKER AND ADD SEYMOUR JR. I t’s the day that the five young Africans wearing “Future Men of Morehouse” t-shirts have been waiting for all summer. Their 16-hour flight was about to culminate in Atlanta, their first time in the United States, and their lives were about to change forever. “Coming to Atlanta, we had so many expectations,” said freshman Abel Gumbo. “We were excited to actu ally be on the plane. We weren’t seeing it all on television. We are here. We’re just looking forward to seeing what lies ahead.” Gumbo, Prince Abundu, Takudzwa Feso, Delight Magadza and Tenha Lovemore were the first of ten stu dents arriving from African villages to attend Morehouse as the inaugural group of Ambassador Andrew Young International Scholars. The other five are Hamim Nitena, Prosper Dzanwa, Jonathan Penduka, Brice Ndayisenga and Edmond Mariga. They are part of what has become one of the most diverse groups of first year classes that the College has had in years, said Kevin Williams ’85, dean of Admissions. The class, which has nearly 700 students, includes young men from 39 states and 10 different countries. “This is very exciting,” said Williams. “We have a strong international group - more than double what we normally have had. And we not only have the numbers, the shape of the class is strong, too. Their average grade point average is around 3.3 and their SAT scores are close to 1100.” But this group is even more special. Coming from small villages in Zimbabwe and Burundi, they were either orphans or double orphans (lost both of their parents) and lived in impoverished conditions. Still they were some of their nation’s top students. In June, they applied to be Young Scholars in a pro gram that Zimbabwean businessman Strive Masiyiwa saw as a way to educate African men at an institution that he admired for its development of men. Then after graduat ing, the students will bring home a new knowledge base that they will use to improve conditions in their own countries. The program is funded through Masiyiwa’s Fligher Life Foundation. The young men got on their first airplane on Aug. 6 and flew to Atlanta, where they were greeted by Morehouse staff and upperclassmen. The next several hours were filled with new experiences, such as their first American meal, which was at the International House of Pancakes, and their first glimpse of Morehouse College. Gumbo was surprised by the size of the College’s bas ketball facility, Forbes Arena. Abundu was used to a lot more open space and fewer buildings. All of them have been ecstatic at how well they’ve been treated in the Atlanta University Center. “I’ve been excited about what I was going to see, how was it different from back home. I was very curious to see,” said Abundu. “And then being in the United States, I was looking forward to a lot of things like some things I saw on television. I have just been fascinated and a lot has been going through my mind.” Feso added: “I dreamed that I’d would actually come to Morehouse and to the United States. My dreams have come true.” H Top: Sophmore Brandon Thorpe greets Hamim Nitena, Prosper Dzanwa, Jonathan Penduka and Brice Ndayisenga. Bottom: Julius Coles '64, executive director of the Leadership Center at Morehouse College, speaks to the Young Scholars. Chinese Moon Festival Brings a Taste of China to Morehouse THE MOREHOUSE COMMUNITY experienced a bit of Chinese culture during the 3 r< ^ Annual Chinese Moon Festival, which was held in the Kilgore Campus Center on Friday, Sept. 28. Presented by the Chinese Studies Program and the Morehouse Chinese Club, the Festival featured demonstrations of Chinese paper cutting demonstration and tea-tasting etiquette and cultural presentations by Chinese Studies students. “Everybody was impressed,” said Henrietta Yang, director of the Chinese Studies Program. “It was wonderful.” ■ Miss Maroon and White Named HBCU Hall of Fame Queen Miss Maroon and White 2012-13, Jasmine Matthews, won first place in the HBCU Hall of Fame Queens and Kings Competition on Sept. 29. Matthews, a senior at Spelman College, was competing with 19 other HBCU campus queens. She won $3,500, a plaque and a crown. Matthews was coached by Michael Gary, assistant director for Student Life.