Julianne Lukambo, a Columbus, Ohio, high school student who was a refugee in Uganda, graduates as valedictorian of her class with an amazing $240,000 in college scholarships.
Lukambo and her family fled to Uganda from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa, due to the ongoing conflict in their home country. She spent the most of her childhood in the refugee camp, dealing with the challenges and uncertainties of her family’s circumstances.
Julianne’s family relocated to the United States in 2015, and she began high school in 2019. She attended Northland High School in Columbus, Ohio, where she thrived academically despite her anxieties.
Julianne now finishes her senior year at the top of her class, with $240,000 in college scholarships. She attributes her success to her ability to retain high grades while still actively participating in a variety of activities and networking. She attributed her success to a network of encouraging teachers who supplied crucial recommendations for numerous scholarships.
Julianne’s accomplishments are part of a larger trend at her school. Northland High School students have received $5.6 million in scholarships, while Columbus City Schools seniors have received more than $33 million in scholarship and aid money. Julianne is one of the district’s top 50 earners.
“Overcoming the adversity that I have had to overcome to reach where I am today has been a real challenging journey, and I would say that from coming from where I’m from, to here now, I would’ve never expected it, so overcoming all of that is something I’m really grateful for and proud of,” she told 10TV.
Julianne is set to attend college at the University of Dayton, where she plans to pursue a degree in computer science.