The Spirit of Giving by John Kidenda Speech to Scholarship Donors and Recipients... "It seemed like only yesterday that my parents were fiddling with my clothes as they sent me off on my 23 hour long ride to school, across both the African continent and the Atlantic Ocean. I could hardly believe how time had flown by, and yet here I was, one full year into my undergraduate studies in Electrical Engineering. The resources available to me here at the University had helped me achieve more than I had dared to hope for in such a short time. From helping organize awareness campaigns for the genocide in Sudan, to getting appointed as Director of an agency in Student Government, this had truly been an exceptionally productive year. And so as I sat alone outside the interview room in the Alumni Center, awaiting my turn, I struggled to be optimistic, and refused to entertain the thought of not being able to attend UT in the fall. I steadied my fidgeting feet and started going over the questions I thought that I would be asked during the interview. I rehearsed the answers that, up until a moment ago, had seamed like pure genius but now sounded cheesy and overly scripted to me. I knew how badly I needed this scholarship. I couldn’t afford to mess up, not if I wanted to have a realistic shot at returning in the fall. This had to work. I said a prayer under my breath was hardly done before the door opened and I was invited in for my interview. I guess the fact that I am standing here gives you a pretty good idea of how the interview went. I could literally feel a weight lift off my shoulders as I read the scholarship awards that I had received. I was in the library and had to tell myself to save the victory dance for later, lest I draw more than my usual share of strange looks. At last I had hope for another semester. Since joining UT, I have become accustomed to living my academic life one semester at a time, never really knowing where the money to attend UT for yet another semester would come from. Yes, mine, as I am sure is the case with many of my peers, has been a college career often visited by the phenomenon known as “registration by faith”. Faith in what? you may ask. And to that I respond, faith, in you.  Faith that the spirit of giving that you ladies and gentlemen sitting in this audience have consistently exemplified would not fail. Faith that you would see the amazing difference that your contributions and sacrifices make in my life and in the lives of my peers. Faith that you would realize the life changing impact of that difference. And faith that you would keep making that difference; that you would keep on giving. This faith in your spirit of giving, a spirit that has turned the dream of a college education into a reality for a multitude of aspiring students, has not failed me yet. And so, as I look forward to yet another exhilarating semester at this prestigious institution, I thank you for keeping that faith alive and bringing me one step closer to being able to say, as we do back in Kenya, HAKUNA MATATA!"