Hocking College student Langton Mahechani was recently awarded the $500 Ariana R. Ulloa Scholarship by the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio.
Langton, a Zimbabwe native, is working toward his associate degree in business management at Hocking College. Before coming to the United States, Langton worked for five years for Zienzele Foundation, a non-governmental organization that facilitates the development of self-sustaining projects to help Zimbabwean AIDS orphans and their caregivers.
“I personally have a great passion for humanity and I believe in helping to unveil the untapped potential that lies within every individual on planet earth,” Langton said. “We are all what we are today because somebody out there took responsibility to give us opportunities to advance in our lives.”
Thanks to sponsors Don and Mary Anne Flournoy, Zienzele Foundation board members and Athens residents, Langton has been able to pursue his dream of obtaining a college education in the United States. However, their ability to provide financial support is limited, and he said the Ulloa Scholarship will help cover his books and some other school-related expenses this year.
“Deprivation of education inhibits growth of intelligence in the same way an insufficient diet prevents physical growth,” Langton said. “Being aware of this fact fills me with gratitude, and I will forever cherish the fact that the Foundation made a contribution to my intellectual growth by awarding me with this scholarship.”
The scholarship fund was established at the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio to honor the life and memory of Ariana R. Ulloa. A native of Mexico, Ulloa received a degree in chemical engineering from the National University of Mexico. She moved to Athens with her husband and four children in 1986 and began working for the Hocking College Department of International Programs in 1990. Ulloa had a reputation for her kind and encouraging nature and was known to many as “Mama Ariana.”
Ulloa died in December 2002 but her legacy continues through this endowed scholarship fund, created through the contributions of Ulloa’s family, friends and students. In the spirit of her work, the scholarships are offered to international students or students pursuing a degree in international studies.