In a country that was faced with frequent wars and unrest, Ms Julianne Lukambo held to nothing but hope and her family.
Having spent a decade in a Ugandan refugee camp after family and herself fled from war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo at the time, Ms Lukambo spent most of her time playing board games as her top hobby, while at the camp.
Now, she stands as the best academic performer in her class at Northland High School in Columbus in the US, where her family finally settled. This was all thanks to her fast-paced excellence in studies.
As top of her class, Ms Lukambo now has scholarship opportunities worth Ush 800 Million for higher education for which she aspires to join University of Dayton and major in computer science.
“Coming from where I’m from, to here now, I would’ve never expected it. Overcoming all of that is something I’m really grateful for and proud of,” Lukambo reflected on her journey through the ups and downs.
“I was kind of surprised because I wasn’t like keeping count of the amount, but I think first of all I did keep my grades up throughout my entire time in high school. That’s something that helped me a lot. And also, I would say getting involved, networking, and branching out. It really helps you a lot with getting recommendations and having them [teachers] recommend you for different scholarships,” she told a US television.
