UC scholarships power student success

One might assume that Timoth Akama is living a dream come true.

But for most of his life, the University of Cincinnati student never dreamed that one day he would pursue degrees in public health more than 8,000 miles from home.

Born in a small town in northern Tanzania, East Africa, the UC College of Medicine student says he couldn't have imagined being able to afford the tuition for a university in his home country, let alone one across the ocean. He’d felt his best hope was an associate’s degree in nursing at a health sciences institute in Tanzania.

Yet after earning that nursing degree, Akama’s future took a dramatic turn.

While working for a nongovernmental organization, or NGO, that was supporting a village of 2,000 people in Tanzania, Akama became acquainted with another, collaborating NGO — the Cincinnati-based Village Life Outreach Project, which was founded in 2004 by Christopher Lewis, MD, professor of clinical family and community medicine and vice provost for academic programs at UC.

Once or twice a year, Village Life Outreach brings a team of students, professors and physicians from UC and UC Health to support health and educational initiatives in three remote and impoverished villages in the Rorya district of Tanzania.  

“I interacted with UC professors and students, and because they had UC merchandise, I got to know about UC,” Akama says. “After interacting with them multiple times, I thought, ‘I wish I could study abroad at UC.’”

While applying for a scholarship, Akama navigated a gauntlet of aptitude exams, an English exam, essay writing, an interview with Tanzanian officials and a final interview with a UC panel.

“Luckily enough, I was accepted,” Akama says.

Scholarships funded by generous donors have made Akama’s life-changing journey possible.

“The scholarships have not only impacted my life, but also my family, my community,” Akama says. “When you give a scholarship to an individual, you change their life. You give them a chance to get a quality education. You impact their future, definitely, and the community also. And I really appreciate that.” 

Not surprisingly, Akama experienced a bit of culture shock.

“It was hard for a few months due to COVID,” he says. “For the first two weeks you don’t see anyone, you just see the food.”

He found UC’s Campus Recreation Center awe-inspiring.

“It is so beautiful. I’ve never seen a rec center like that.”

Akama quickly built relationships with his professors and fellow students and made steady progress toward a bachelor of science degree in public health.

“The professors and faculty are easy to reach,” he says. “The faculty make it easy for students to succeed. Everyone is nice, and if you reach out because you need something, UC will find a way to provide it."

Akama’s master’s program includes a concentration in biostatistics and epidemiology. After graduation, he hopes to assist with data collection and analysis in developing countries that lack sophisticated epidemiological tracking.

“The plan is to go back home and help my community overcome the obstacles they face,” he says. “The primary challenges in general are social determinants of health — from lack of access to health care services, to clean and safe water, and education.”

In fact, Akama has already provided hands-on assistance to his broader community. During the summers of 2022 and 2023, his UC experience came full circle when he joined the Village Life Outreach team on its mission to provide treatment and health education in Tanzania. 

Featured image at top: Timoth Akama is currently a student in the UC College of Medicine. Photo/UC Alumni Association