Activist Spotlight: Maimouna

Published by Educational Justice on March 30, 2020

An Activist since the fall of 2016, Maimouna will soon leave for Colby College in Waterville, Maine. She is one of approximately 1,000 students to be accepted as a QuestBridge National College Match Scholar. All applicants must go through a rigorous application process that includes a review of their grades and extracurriculars. Those who are awarded the Questbridge scholarship receive full tuition, room and board, books and supplies, and travel costs.

“I was incredibly happy because it meant that not only did I not have to worry about applying for more colleges, I also didn’t have to worry about my parents paying for my college education,” Maimouna said.

Colby College is a private university with a 16 percent acceptance rate where more than two-thirds of the students study abroad at some point in their college career. When it comes to how she was able to obtain such an opportune experience, Maimouna says it took ambition, as well as a lot of support from her family, her college counselor at St. Francis School, but mostly her mom and dad.

“I think the biggest impact would have to be my parents,” she said. “I grew up in a household where education was very important.”

When asked what she was most looking forward to about attending Colby, Maimouna mentioned the great programs offered there. Colby has a wide variety of opportunities for its students including a thriving study abroad program and many internship opportunities.