My journey toward engineering began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Growing up, I saw firsthand how infrastructure failures can affect families. When my mother's business collapsed because of a five-day power outage which spoiled her entire stock of fresh fish she was selling to finance my education, I realized that engineering is not just about wires, it is about protecting livelihoods. That is why I decided that I wanted to become an electrical engineer specializing in power and control systems to build stable, reliable energy resources for underserved communities. To achieve this goal, I have had to battle through extraordinary obstacles. As a low-income, first-generation college student, and a Black woman in STEM, racial discrimination is a real challenge. I constantly have to work hard to prove my worth beyond my skin color and national origin. My greatest physical challenge came when I was diagnosed with a severe facial tumor. I endured a 16-hour jaw reconstruction surgery, followed by a year-and-a-half recovery and two follow-up surgeries. Despite this immense trauma, I am still standing today and I keep battling. I have fiercely maintained a 3.9 GPA, earning leadership roles as Vice President of Tau Beta Pi and Recording Secretary for Eta Kappa Nu. I take every opportunity I can get to build my technical expertise. As I enter my senior year, I am spending the summer of 2026 as a Reliability Engineering Intern at Graphic Packaging International, where I am working to improve motor bearings and prevent failures due to electrical fluting, and learning transformer reliability tests such as megging and transformer turns ratio (TTR) testing. During the school year, I contributed research on miniature microbial fuel cells with Dr. Arwa Fraiwan, where I was in charge of the SolidWorks design of the fuel cells. When I read about Teria Onwuaduegbo, I felt a deep connection to her story as a woman of African descent, especially through her passion for mathematics. I share that same passion and am currently pursuing a minor in mathematics. In the summer of 2025, I worked as a Lead Mentor for the Freshman Enrichment Program with the Engineering and Science department at my college, to mentor a cohort of incoming engineering students in strengthening their college algebra skills. I have also privately tutored more than 20 students, helping them pass math classes ranging from college algebra to differential equations passing through calculus. Like Teria, I want to be a source of inspiration on my campus and in my community. As Student President of Bridges International which is a non-profit organization that also has a presence at Purdue University, I lead spiritual discussions, retreats, and mission trips. I work to provide a welcoming community for international students, including many young African women navigating life in the US as a minority. After graduation, I want to inspire the next generation of young women in engineering through mentorship. Once I have a full-time job, it is my goal to give back through donations to the foundations that supported my educational journey so they can help even more women in return. For every Black woman in STEM who receives the Teria Onwuaduegbo Scholarship and succeeds, I believe Teria’s memory will remain alive, forever becoming a beautiful part of our own stories of resilience and determination.

Growing up in the Congo, I saw how infrastructure failures directly impact families. When my mother's business collapsed because a five-day power outage spoiled her stock, I realized that engineering is about protecting livelihoods. My ambition is to become an electrical engineer specializing in power and control systems so I can design reliable grids for underserved communities. This goal is driven by resilience and a relentless strive for excellence. Despite enduring a 16-hour jaw reconstruction surgery, a year-and-a-half recovery, and the financial strain of medical debt, I maintained my 3.9 GPA. My drive is further reflected in my leadership roles as Vice President of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honors society and Recording Secretary for Eta Kappa Nu. As a low-income student, I have learned to help others even if I do not have material things to give. Instead, I give my time and my knowledge. I have helped over 20 students pass their classes through private one-on-one tutoring in circuits, calculus, and differential equations. Additionally, as Student President of Bridges International, I lead mission trips and spiritual retreats to provide community for international students. Ultimately, I want to use my education not only for my personal success but also for the benefit others

My name is Leance Kiningu and I am a junior electrical engineering major at Louisiana Tech Univeristy. I am from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country that faces severe economic instability and ongoing conflict in the eastern region. Growing up, I always dreamed of becoming an engineer to help my community. My mother, a single parent, did everything she could to save money for my education. At one point, she started a business selling fresh fish. Unfortunately, the city's electrical grid was so unreliable that we lost power for five days, and her entire stock spoiled. Still, she never gave up. She sold everything you could think of such as cassava flour, juice, and yogurt until she finally saved enough money for me to travel to the United States for college. Coming from a completely French-speaking country, I struggled significantly during my first year because of the language barrier. Engineering is already a difficult field, but trying to translate and understand complex technical terms from French to English made it even harder. Since it was my first time in the United States, I did not have any friends or family nearby; I was just trying to navigate the unknown entirely on my own. Two years after I arrived in the US, my mom lost her job due to the political instability back home and the conflict in Goma. Then, as if that financial strain was not enough, I was diagnosed with a facial tumor called Ameloblastoma in June 2024. The treatment required doctors at a hospital in Shreveport to remove about 80% of my jaw and reconstruct it using bone from my leg in a 16-hour surgery known as a fibula free flap. Between the initial biopsy, the major surgery on September 6, 2024, and two subsequent surgeries, my recovery took a year and a half and even now I am still recovery from the latest procedure back in March 2026. This hardship was not just physical and financial, but deeply emotional. My mom was denied a U.S. visa to come care for me, leaving me without my family during my most vulnerable time. The intense recovery forced me to stop school for an entire year. In the Fall of 2025, I finally resumed my classes. I was still recovering, but I moved forward with full confidence because I learned how to never give up by watching my mother. Today, I am still paying off medical debt from my surgeries while working an on-campus job to save for my tuition. Despite these extreme challenges, I have worked incredibly hard to maintain my 3.9 GPA. The Cyrilla Olapeju Sanni scholarship would alleviate my financial stress, allowing me to focus on my degree rather than my medical debt. My aspiration is to become an electrical engineer specializing in power and control systems. I want to design reliable electrical grids so that other people do not have to lose their livelihoods to power outages the way my mother did. I know now that whatever comes my way, as long as I am still alive, I will overcome it.

Being a black immigrant in the US, my journey in STEM has been shaped by considerable financial challenges. I am currently a junior in Electrical Engineering at Louisiana Tech University. My parents live outside the US, which makes all the burden of paying for my education on myself. This situation represents my biggest challenge as I go through my junior year and prepare for my professional programs. The financial stress is complex. Apart from my tuition, books, important study materials and the rising cost of living make a serious challenge. At the beginning of every quarter, I cautiously not only plan my school schedule but also for my work schedule because every hour counts toward keeping my dreams alive. This constant act of balancing between my demanding engineering major and work hours restricts the amount of time I invest in my extracurricular activities and research opportunities. This worry about whether I will have enough to cover for my academic cost each quarter sometimes distracts me from my studies. I aspire to contribute to the field of renewable energy, such as electrical vehicles and charging infrastructures and charging a sector that I am convinced is crucial for a sustainable future. I see myself working on innovative solutions to use clean power and inspiring other women to pursue their goals in STEM regardless of financial obstacles. Receiving the Victoria Johnson Minority Women in STEM scholarship would change everything for me. It would relieve some of my financial struggles and allow me to focus more time and energy on my academic work. This scholarship may not seem like a lot but it would make a big impact in my academic progress. Anticipating what is next, my success in renewable energy will demonstrate the power of perseverance and determination, especially for immigrant minority women. I plan to use my experience to mentor other female engineers, share my story and prove that financial barriers, though challenging, can be overcome. I want to involve myself in outreach and possibly create a small fund for students dealing with similar financial difficulties. My journey has taught me that any act of support, no matter how small, can make a big difference. This scholarship is not just an investment into my education but also into the future where more women in STEM can reach their full potential regardless of their financial background and make a positive impact to the world.