Earlier this month, Opportunity Scholars held their semester luau to celebrate their 2020 Fall graduates. Always inspirational, this semester’s virtual event featured remarks from the program director, Rich Kaufusi, and alum, Simeon Lawrence.

Lawrence, who received his degree in Finance, shared his personal story with the group and encouraged students to align the practice of goal setting with being intentional. “Start with the end in mind,” he said, “…then take a step back, respect the process it takes to accomplish that goal, and know it’s OK to nibble at it.”

In other words, take those small steps to reach the bigger goal.

“Trust that your hard work, your patience, and your faith is going to direct your life,” Lawrence counseled them. “Don’t let the detours scare you.”

The program continued with short presentations from each graduate. Scholars shared their unique story and journey and expressed their gratitude to the program and donors. “The Opportunity Scholars program showed me that there is support for first-generation students,” said Alicia Lee, Operations & Supply Chain graduate.

Skye McPhearson, Management graduate, also emphasized that one’s circumstances don’t have to define them, and that hard work and perseverance pay off.

All of the graduates spoke of the sense of belonging that Opportunity Scholars gave them, along with the support they needed to explore, learn from success and failure, and guide them through their education.

As always, the concept of giving back and helping others permeated the event. This shared goal among alumni, students, and mentors is a constant in the program.

Fall 2020 Opportunity Scholars graduates:

• Joel Brown, Business Administration⠀
• Monica Cheung, Marketing⠀
• Fabiola Kamberi, Management, Psychology⠀
• Matania Kapaya, Marketing⠀
• Alicia Lee, Operations & Supply Chain⠀
• Skye Mcpherson, Management
• Tommy Trinh, Business Administration⠀
• Andrew Tuitele, Finance⠀
• Marcelo Zapata, Accounting ⠀

The Eccles School is proud of our Opportunity Scholar graduates and this fantastic program designed to support and enhance the educational experience of first-generation business students as they progress toward graduation. For more information, visit Eccles.link/opportunity-scholars.