In the spring of 2025, we received an email from Gatdor Reat, a Sudanese refugee, educated in Kenya, thanking us for our scholarship support early in his education. He let us know that he had applied to and been accepted by Harvard University through the World University Service of Canada and the DreamReach Scholars Program. We were thrilled to hear this exciting news!!

There were more hurdles to overcome, however, namely in securing his visa before the start of school. We helped with a few fees and made a few phone calls to U.S. immigration on his behalf, but up to the day before he was scheduled to fly to Boston, we weren’t sure he would make it. Immigration finally approved his paperwork, and the next morning, he was on a flight (his first flight anywhere) to the United States!

Gatdor’s story is one of trials and perseverance. He’s experienced hopelessness, failure, and disappointment, but he never gave up and put in the hard work every step of the way, believing it would lead to a better life than one of poverty and displacement.

Here are some photos of Gatdor at Harvard and from his time with us in Connecticut over Thanksgiving weekend.