Meet Codou and Leana…

They’re two students the Madison Youth Service Council (YSC) recently chose as recipients of their annual scholarship. Both students demonstrated hard work inside and outside the classroom and are now moving forward in their education thanks to you!

Codou began the first African Club with her friends at Madison’s La Follette High School. While the school had an Asian Club and other events for African students, there weren’t any formal student organizations. So Codou (above; farthest left) took initiative to begin the club by inviting friends and peers to attend meetings where they shared culture, music and food. It was this kind of initiative that inspired the YSC to choose her as a recipient of their annual scholarship. Every academic year, the YSC provides scholarships to local students who otherwise may not be able to afford post-secondary education. In addition, the family of each recipient receives material support, often in the form of rent credit or grocery store gift cards. When speaking about her upcoming freshman year at UW-Milwaukee over the summer, Codou explained how the scholarship would help her pay for tuition, transportation, and housing.

The middle child of six kids, Codou’s always worked hard to provide for herself and her family. Her father passed away years ago, and she’s only lived in Wisconsin since she was in eighth grade. She and her family are from Senegal, and the scholarship meant a great deal to her as she begins her studies in college. She’s interested in science and technology since she likes to research, and was excited to meet new people and live on campus.

Leana is another one of this year’s scholarship recipients. She said the scholarship would be a big help for her as she’ll use it to help pay for books and meals, and noted it was a unique honor to be chosen by her peers. Leana dreams of working in the medical field to help Black moms during and after pregnancy. Inspired by a social media post she saw about the racial disparities in maternal and infant health, she wants to be part of the solution in changing these troubling statistics. As a high school student, she received dual credit through Madison College’s Early College STEM Academy and attended nursing courses on track to become a CNA. She’s attending college on the East Coast with plans to study health and science.