2008 Education Leadership Award Dinner Speech - Bruno Cuperitino de Jesus

Bruno Cuperitino de Jesus
OGUNTEC (The Steve Biko Cultural Institute) Graduate
Education Leadership Award Dinner, New York, New York, June 9, 2008

Good evening.

It is so exciting for me to be in New York City, in the United States.  I never imagined that my dream to become an electrical engineer would lead me to be here this evening-telling all of you about my journey from a poor but loving family in San Salvador to passing the vestibular and entering university. 

I always believed, and my mother always assured me, that if I studied and worked hard in school I would be able to fulfill my dream of becoming an engineer.  At a very young age I loved math and science classes.  I loved going to school and learning even though many of the students in my class were disinterested in their studies.  For me, when the teacher strikes caused school to close for weeks or months at a time, I missed the course work and was bored being home, I also worried about how I might make up the lost class time before the end of the term.

When I was fourteen an administrator asked the students in my grade at school if they wanted to apply to an after school program providing supplemental course work and tutoring in math and science.  The program, at the Steve Biko Institute, required a three year commitment form the entrants and was described as rigorous and demanding.

Many students expressed interest in having the chance for additional instruction and academic support in math and science but there were only thirty-five spots available at the Institute.  Three hundred and fifty children interviewed for the opportunity to take the Institute entrance exam, I was lucky enough to be offered the exam and to be one of the thirty-five selected for admission.

At the Biko Institute I not only received additional class instruction, the latest science text books and for the first time access to a full science laboratory, but I was taught how to think analytically.  Unlike in my public school where most of our exams were multiple choice questions, at Biko our exams were individually reviewed and discussed by the entire class.  Each student had to explain their conclusions and was challenged by the other students in a form of class debate.  For me this was the first time learning became an interactive process and not just rote memorization.

Attending the Biko Institute changed by life but also strained my family.  I had to take a one hour public bus ride four days a week to the Institute and my mother worked extra house cleaning jobs to earn money for my transportation expenses.  She also helped me pay for notebooks, textbooks and even pens.  Although my mother hadn't finished school and couldn't help me with my studies, she sacrificed and worked as much as she could to support me in my efforts to complete my studies and achieve my dream of entry to university.

If the supplemental math and science didn't exist at Biko Institute I could not have passed the vestibular exams.  In fact I could not afford to pay for the vestibular exams and the Institute helped me with that as well.  But as much as I am grateful for the great academic instruction I received at Biko, I am also equally appreciative for the confidence it gave me in my ability to succeed in university, which I often doubted, and for the self-esteem it instilled in me about my cultural identity and African roots.

The Institute also encourages its graduates to give back in their communities and I fully embrace their philosophy.  My sister, who is two years younger, was unable to apply to the Biko Institute's three year program because it only has space for one three year cycle of entrants at a time.  My sister and many of her fellow students are very talented and could gain entry to university with some additional support and guidance.  For the last year I have been leading a study group for the students in her class on Saturdays.  I also try to advise them about the courses they need to take to prepare for the vestibular. Although I can't provide the rigorous additional instruction that I benefited from at the Institute, I hope to do as much as I can to help my sister and her fellow students achieve their dreams of a university education.

Thank you.