SUNY Oswego students can apply for more than 900 scholarships and awards, provided by The Oswego University Foundation and the Oswego Alumni Association, with a deadline of Feb. 4.
For senior criminal justice major Jamal Akin-Tukur, Oswego scholarships played a crucial role in allowing him to remain enrolled during his final year.
“My Oswego scholarships have helped me be able to afford to stay at this institution,” Akin-Tukur said.
An international, first-generation student from Nigeria, Akin-Tukur said his family faced increasing financial pressure when currency exchange rates rose sharply.
“My parents fund my education, and when the Nigerian economy crashed, causing the exchange rate to triple, my parents had to pay three times what they were paying when I first came,” he said. “I was sure they wouldn’t be able to afford it, but the scholarships came just in time for me to go into my final year without worrying about my school bill.”
Akin-Tukur said financial barriers were a significant concern when he first arrived at Oswego at age 15, thousands of miles from home.
“My parents agreed to fund my education but were burdened with paying bills in a foreign currency that was worth over 300 times the currency they earned,” he said. “[That situation] worsened as the exchange rate rose to 1,750 Nigerian naira to 1 U.S. dollar.”
In addition to scholarships, Akin-Tukur said campus resources helped him adjust and find community.
“The scholarships I was awarded eased this burden, and campus resources like RAs helped me find community through Bridge Builders and by introducing me to multicultural student organizations such as the African Student Organization and the International Student Association,” he said.
Now in his final year, Akin-Tukur encourages other students to apply for scholarships, even if the process feels time-consuming.
“Be the one to apply,” he said. “Many students feel like there are too many words to type in an essay or too many applications to fill out, but if you take the time to fill out these applications and get those recommendations, you’re much more likely to get financial support than a person who lets this opportunity pass them by.”
He added that students should not assume they are ineligible.
“There are different qualifications for various scholarships, so don’t count yourself out,” Akin-Tukur said. “Fill out the general application, talk to your professors and peers and find what works for you. Apply today.”
The general scholarship application is open to current SUNY Oswego students and closes Feb. 4. To apply and find more information, visit alumni.oswego.edu/scholarships.