Portraits of Success

Marie Bangura 2009

Marie Bangura was the first in her family to pursue higher education. Her family is from Sierra Leone, West Africa where education is strongly encouraged as a key to success. She faced numerous obstacles while earning her college degrees, but turned each of those challenges into stepping stones to build a stronger future.

Marie's first major challenge occurred when she was in the sixth grade at James K. Polk Elementary School. As they were walking to the library to complete a homework assignment, Marie and her bet friend were struck by a car. Serious injuries left Marie unable to walk. After weeks in physical therapy and hard work, she regained her mobility. "The day I actually walked, I was so excited that I was just beginning to use my legs again, I took another step and fell right on my face. I got back up and resumed like the Energizer Bunny."

She demonstrated the same determination and energy at T.C. Williams High School where she served as senior class vice president, a member of Project Discovery, Keyettes, Black Cultural Alliance and numerous community service activities. With the support of caring parents and 4 years of financial support from The Scholarship Fund, Marie earned a B.S. in business from Virginia Commonwealth University and a M.Ed. in educational administration and policy from Howard University.

Today, Marie works for the Department of Education, Program Compliance where she oversees and reviews post secondary institutions receiving Title IV funding (such as Stafford loans). She is using the same energy and perseverance that helped her to recover from her sixth-grade accident to help thousands of students overcome obstacles in higher education.

T.C. Williams Class of 1996

B.S. Business, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2001

M.Ed. Educational Administration & Policy, Howard University, 2006

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