When Mercy Ifiegbu traveled to the United States away from her family living in Southern Africa, it was to pursue a dream of a better life for herself and her sister, Grace.

今天, 计算机科学 major at 蒙哥马利县社区学院 is living up to that dream, after receiving statewide recognition for her work in and out of the classroom.

The 20-year-old was recently named to the All-Pennsylvania Academic Team, sponsored Phi Theta Kappa (强), the international honor society for two-year colleges, and the Pennsylvania Commission 社区学院.

This recognition honors an exceptional group of community college students who have achieved academic excellence and demonstrated a commitment to their colleges and communities. To qualify, students must have completed at least 36 credits and have a cumulative GPA 3.5或以上.

The Pennsylvania Commission 社区学院 recognized Ifiegbu, as well as 心理学专业 Dani Arcos Narvaez 高中双bt365体育备用网站 格鲁吉亚Horosky 与其他得奖者合照 仪式 4月2日在哈里斯堡.   

“我很荣幸，”她谈到奖学金时说. “去年秋天申请的时候，我并不知道 它有多大. I thought I’d get a small scholarship in transfer money. 它激励我为社区做贡献. 用类来平衡一切， work, clubs has been so hard, it’s nice to get that encouragement.”

Ifiegbu, who currently lives in Chestnut Hill, began studying at MCCC in the fall of 2022.

“I didn’t know anything about the College or the States when I applied,” she said. “这对我的家庭来说是一个艰难的处境. 在经济上，我们做得并不好. I 没有期望. I remember thinking I’ll just going with the flow and make 最棒的是. 我当时脑子不太清醒.”

Ifiegbu的父母从尼日利亚搬到了博茨瓦纳. 她的父亲是白手起家的 开发人员. Her mom came to Botswana with her dad with a high school education. 现在是 she’s a tenured professor working toward her doctorate in a computer science-related 行业. 他们把女儿送到了美国.S. 因为他们觉得他们会有更大的 获得学业成功的机会. Ifiegbu and her sister came to stay with extended 居住在美国的家庭成员.S.

After starting at MCCC Ifiegbu, who graduates this spring, joined the International 俱乐部 2022年秋季. From there she got a job on campus as a student ambassador the following February, then joined the Rotaract 俱乐部 in the fall of 2023. 她接着说 通过加入 触爪伸向 俱乐部 for 计算机科学 students, of which she would eventually become president 还有国际俱乐部. 之后她成为扶轮青年服务团的秘书.

In the summer of 2023, Ifiegbu had the opportunity to attend the Bucknell Community 大学学者暑期项目. The six-week summer program is a residential, on-campus experience at Bucknell University designed “for high-achieving, low- to moderate-income community college students who want to take their education beyond an associate's 度”，根据其 网站. For students who perform well during the program, Bucknell will typically offer 两年奖学金. Her public speaking instructor, Communication Studies Associate Professor Amanda Gatchet, suggested she apply because she seemed right for it.

“My professor's belief in me really encouraged me,” she said. “当我出来的时候 of a difficult headspace, my confidence in my academic ability was low and I didn't believe I was capable of getting into a competitive program such as Bucknell Community 大学暑期课程. I remember thinking that it was probably not for me.”

“When I was applying to universities before Montco I got in my head a lot,” she continued. “作为一名学生，我对自己失去了信心. 当我来到这里的时候，我想我要走了 努力得a，但要保持低调.“当她给我寄暑假传单的时候 program, I thought maybe 我可以 push myself a bit more. 这个项目使我恢复了活力 self-confidence as a scholar, and it made me feel 我可以 be involved with more student activities like clubs in the coming fall semester."”

Gatchet was enormously proud of all that Ifiegbu has accomplished since she’s joined bt365体育备用网站家族.

“我为默西感到高兴，”她说. “她聪明、富有同情心、工作努力. The academic success she has had so far is incredible, but she has just gotten started. I can’t wait to see all of the wonderful things Mercy will accomplish. 世界是 有她在真是个更好的地方.”

Ifiegbu also worked during the summer of 2023 as a student worker for the Information 技术 支持服务 帮助台. The job offered flexible hours and an opportunity for mentorship, especially from members of Women in Science and 技术 (知道).

Balancing her coursework with extracurriculars and work has been difficult, she said. The All-Pennsylvania Academic Team membership notice gave her a boost to her confidence.

“得到这样的鼓励很好，”她说. “很多人都表示祝贺 我穿过校园，感觉很好. 这不是我的计划. 我只是在努力建立关系 我的技能和认识的人. It made me want to continue staying involved in the community 等我拿到学士学位后.”

As for which institution she’ll be transferring to after graduation, she’s undecided 到目前为止. She knows she’ll eventually want to continue studying 计算机科学 有朝一日成为一名软件工程师.

“我是一个学STEM的孩子，”她说. “我一直对科学更感兴趣. 我觉得 all the engineering disciplines, 计算机科学 had the most flexibility. 我可以 work in a hospital, or transfer and work for a bank. 这是一项很好的技能.”