Congolese student who spent decade in refugee camp in Uganda lands Shs890m scholarship

Juliane Lukambo, a high school graduate in Ohio, USA has won herself $240,000 (about Shs890 million) in University scholarships after graduating top of her class. 

Lukambo had settled in Uganda for a decade as a Congolese refugee before her family moved to the US only in 2015.  
"Due to the ongoing war, we had to move to Uganda as refugees. So, that's where I spent most of my childhood," she said in a news release from Columbus City Schools. 

"Life in the refugee camps was not easy," Lukambo recollects.  
Lukambo attributes her success to hard work and embraces the scholarship as a reward for her work. 

“I’ve worked really hard all of these years with taking college classes, being involved, and getting the scholarships is showing recognition that I did a lot, and the reward is what I get,” she said in a release from Columbus City Schools.

Lukambo further describes what it means being in a foreign land, especially for the first time, saying you never know what to expect. She went to the USA and became a diverse student participating in various sports excellently at high school while paying close attention to her academics and internships, according to the district.

Lukambo remains grateful for the opportunity and is highly expectant of what lies ahead, as her transitions into the next step of her life.