Duazon, Margibi County – Margibi County Senator Oscar A. Cooper on Saturday, August 3, awarded a full four-year college scholarship to the Valedictorian of the Liberia Renaissance Education Complex (LREC) in Duazon, Margibi County.
Serving as the LREC’s third commencement speaker, Senator Cooper spoke to three categories of people. To the school’s administration and teachers, he thanked them for keeping the school up and running and impacting knowledge to the students. Speaking to the students’ parents and guardians, he encouraged them to continually cooperate with school’s administration as the amount they pay for the child or children is far less than the level of education their kids are receiving from the LREC.
The Margibi County Senator also told the graduates to be good “ambassadors” for the alma mater. He pleaded with the girls to avoid getting pregnant while they are still pursuing their studies; stressing: “Pregnancy should not be an option for you now.”
In addition to the full four-year scholarship he had awarded Valedictorian Joyce Swen, he offered a year’s scholarship to 11 grader Jaso Zayzay for a beautiful poem she recited. Jaso is expected to benefit from the scholarship when she gets to the 12 grade.
He also gave a year’s scholarship for Vina Vincent of grade 11.
Among the 21 graduates, at least five had been with the school since beginning their primary academic sojourn in grade 1. To these five students, Sen. Cooper gave each of them US$200.
The Margibi lawmaker, who is also a humanitarian, gave US$100 to each of the other graduates. He further gave US$2000 towards the school bus fund drive. He climaxed his philanthropic gesture to the school by giving them a further US$5,000 towards completion of their science lab.
The school principal, Mr. Henry P. Wolokolie, was so grateful to Mr. Cooper. “You are awesome, Hon. Oscar A. Cooper, Senator, Margibi County. We are grateful.”
He further stated, “Today, we are proud to let go our third class, Ancora Imparo (We Are Still Learning) as they called themselves is a gender-balanced class — 11 girls and 11 boys. It is interesting to note that six members of this class have been with us since 2008.”