TCC scholarships help international student stay in school

Nigerian Emeakama Favour came to Tidewater Community College to study cyber security and get a head start on her future. Two scholarships from the college helped pave her way.

This summer, Favour is a camp host for the STEM, Robotics, Mechatronics and Maker camps, sharing knowledge and encouraging youngsters to follow their dreams.

“I came to the U.S. because the education system is one of the world’s best and my family encouraged me to do so,” Favour said.  “So far, it’s been great. I’m adjusting to the culture and learning how things are done here. The toughest thing has been to the cold weather in winter.”

To help pay for college, Favour, 24, received the Mary Ferrell Flickinger and E.C. Wareheim scholarships from TCC.

“These scholarships helped me experience the joy of learning. They covered most of my tuition for one semester and helped me stay in school,” she said.

Favour said she made the right choice coming to TCC because of the small classes and quality professors. “My professors have been very helpful. We’re dealing with real-world issues and using current software,” she said. “It’s amazing to be learning on the same tools that are used in the cyber industry.”

In her free time, Favour writes poetry and hosts a podcast called “Franc Poetry with Favour,” where she shares her work and invites poets from all over the world to share their poems and talk about their cities.

Once she earns her Career Studies Certificate in Cyber Security, Favour hopes to work full time as an IT security professional.

For more information about scholarships opening soon, click here.