Scholarship: Q&A with Olu Efunwoye, Executive Director, Dream Rite

Established in 2015, Dream Rite is a non-profit organization that seeks to equip the leaders of tomorrow with the tools necessary to prepare them for the world of greatness and opportunities that lies ahead. Their initiative, the Dreamers College Fund (DCF) seeks to provide academic support to students as a way of fulfilling this mission, having identified education as key to raising quality leaders.

Olu Efunwoye, a US based IT guru, is the Executive Director of  Dream Rite. Having had some education in Nigeria before moving to the United States, Efunwoye has perhaps “tasted” both worlds in terms of what quality education means. It is therefore no surprise that education is a key focus of this organization.

In this interview with JarusHub editors, Efunwoye, who has his bachelors degree from Bellevue University Nebraska and masters degree from American Public University System, shares with us insights about the mission of this NGO and the Scholarship Fund.

Could you tell us about your motivation for Dreamers College Fund; Is there any experience that served as the principal trigger of this initiative?

Over 2 decades ago, I almost lost my admission to university because my family could not afford Eight Thousand Naira for my admission processing before the due date. I was managing my family’s cybercafe business at the time, however, funding was not readily available. It took the timely intervention of a loan from one of our customers who saw my downward countenance and depressed state on that fateful day for me to finally get an opportunity to proceed with the admission. I ended up maximizing every opportunity in school to be the best I could be before I eventually migrated to the United States. Years later this experience continues to echo in my head, and I imagine what if that customer had not walked in that day? What if I had not received that timely help?

The Dreamers College Fund scholarship program was created to provide that timely help for a child (a dreamer) out there, to ensure that they do not lose the opportunity to lift their head out of the mud of poverty. We strongly believe in the power of education to make a person a voice in their generation where they otherwise could have been an echo. With the situation of the economy, we know many households are in survival mode, hence education may be the least of their priority. This scholarship program is our instrument of hope to those students who are longing for an opportunity to go to school but do not have the means.

Is this the first edition? How many candidates are you planning to award the scholarship to?

Yes, this is the first edition of the Dreamers College Fund scholarship program. We are planning to give out a minimum of 6 scholarship awards of One Million Naira (N1,000,000) each. We hope we can get more funding from people so we can do more. The more funds we receive, the more of this scholarship award we can provide in this maiden edition.

What is the process for screening the candidates and how do you intend to pick the successful candidates?

The scholarship selection process consists of 5 distinct stages:

1 – Submission: Applicants submit their scholarship application directly on our website.

2 – Review: We review the submitted applications.

3 – Testing: Those who scaled through the application review stage will be shortlisted for an aptitude test.

4 – Research: Those successful in the test will be provided a simple research topic. This is intended to identify applicants with a good intellectual curiosity to brainstorm on possible solutions to a given problem.

5 – Final: A panel interview to determine applicants with the most intellectual acuity and demonstrated financial need. This is the opportunity to make a compelling final appeal for this scholarship.

How do you fund the scholarship?

Dream Rite is a tax-exempt non-profit educational charity organization registered in both United States and in Nigeria. Our vision is for Africa but starting from Nigeria. As a charitable organization, we are funded through charitable donations from members of the public. As a non-profit charitable organization, our fundraising campaign never ends. We continue to make direct outreach to individuals and corporations to provide us with continuous funding so we can continue to put smiles on the faces of young people in Africa.

Is the scholarship available only to students intending to attend public institutions or are private institutions covered?  

There is no discrimination on which type of higher institution scholarship recipients must attend. However, going by the total amount of each scholarship award, we believe it will mostly benefit students going to public institutions.

Beyond funding the school fees and other expenses for the awardees, are there other form of non-cash support you are giving to the winners?

Absolutely! Awardees are automatically enrolled in our MentorMe program , which is a program designed for mentor-mentee professional engagement throughout their academic lifecycle. In the MentorMe program, mentees are paired with mentors who are professionals working in the field where the mentees aspire to be. Awardees are also engaged in leadership, business, and mental development throughout their academic lifecycle. Awardees also have a scheduled annual one-on-one engagement session with the Executive Director as another layer of support.

Can you tell us more about the timeline/cycle for the scholarship programme?

The application portal will be open for 45 days beginning on June 1, 2021, and will close on July 15, 2021. Based on the scholarship program timelines, we anticipate the scholarship award will be announced no later than December 15, 2021.

Finally, and on a lighter note, people here believe that you have to be a billionaire or multi-millionaire to institute scholarships. Are you a multi-millionaire?

As a very optimistic and faith-driven person, I will not shy away from such a desirable label. However, it is important to note that Dream Rite is a publicly owned non-profit charitable organization, and this scholarship program is one of our many scholastic initiatives. Let me also say this, you do not have to have millions in your bank account before you can offer thousands to someone else in need. What is fundamental is the zeal and motivation to provide this scholarship, which we have demonstrated. Of course, you must put your money where your purported motivation is, which is a key factor in driving any charitable cause to realization. As the saying goes, you don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

Editor’s Note

We are impressed with the activities of Dream Rite and would welcome your support to them, please check here for ways to support.