By Alhassan Darboe, Gunjur News Online
The Senegambian community of Lexington and Kentucky on June 1 converged at Lexington Oakwood centre to celebrate and pray for Omar Pa Mambuna Bojang, a gifted and serious young academic of Gunjur origin.
Omar Bojang, son of Pa Mambuna Bojang of Kombo Gunjur graduated from High school and is set to start his academic career in the fall at the prestigious Transylvania University, majoring in Biology.
Speaking to GunjurNewsonline on the sidelines at his graduation, Omar revealed that he plans on heading off to medical school as soon as he finishes his undergraduate degree at the prestigious Transylvania University.
“I am very grateful to my parents (Bintou and Mambuna Bojang) for all their support and being such great parents. I have been doing research as a high school student part time at University at Kentucky. I used to spend half the day at school and the other half doing research at the university of Kentucky but now I will be researching full time at the university for the summer”.
His proud father Pa Mambuna Bojang, said of the young scholar: “We will continue to invoke Allah’s blessings as we push Omar to redouble his efforts in bringing his dream into fruition. With a career in academia for the past two decades, I have seen how education transformed so many young lives. I am therefore very grateful to Allah (swt) for keeping Omar on track as he continues to raise the bar high for his four younger sisters. In the words of the late Nelson Mandela, ‘It is through education that the daughter of a miner could become the head of the mine,’” Mambuna, an influential member of the Gambian Lexington community, concluded.
Speaking at the reception, Bintou Cham Bojang, a visibly overjoyed and elated mother of the young and high-flying scholar, thanked the Senegambian community for coming together to celebrate and pray for her son, noting that the joy and gratitude she feels are so extraordinary to be easily expressed in ordinary words with an ordinary tongue.
“I am so happy today and very grateful to everyone who took time out of their busy schedule to attend and support this reception”.
Also speaking at the reception Sulayman Darboe, the president of Senegambian community Kaafo in Lexington, said Omar is an inspiration to young Africans and immigrant kids in Lexington and America in general, given the struggle immigrants go through to raise their kids in a foreign country and in a culture different from one obtained in their parent’s country of origin.
“For me, there isn’t much I can say on this joyous occasion for the Senegambian community,” he said. “Omar is a focused young scholar, trail blazer and a shining example for our immigrant kids in this community to emulate.”
Karl Dembo Jatta, who trekked all the way from Ohio to attend the reception, congratulated the young scholar while cautioning him not to rest on his laurels but strive to be the best he can ever become.
“Omar, I am happy today, but I won’t be too happy until I come back here in the next four years to celebrate your graduation with nothing short of high honors from your university.”
Abdurahman Bojang, uncle to Omar from Louisville Kentucky, Sulayman and Yaqub Darboe from Tennessee all expressed similar sentiments and wished the young scholar well in his pursuit to become a doctor in his beloved community of Lexington, Kentucky.
