Sasakawa International Scholarship

I am Le Toudjida Allara and a citizen of Chad by the international law of jus Sanguinis. However, I was born in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi.

I came to Gallaudet University in January 2004 to study English and American Culture at the English Language Institute (ELI). Currently, I am a senior undergraduate student. I am studying International Government and French with a minor in Deaf Studies. As soon as the field of International Studies is successfully approved by the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees, I will add it as my third major. Anyway, I expect to graduate before the end of 2011.

For my Sasakawa project, the quality of deaf education in the third world countries, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali, are my research focus. I am also researching on the Rights of People with Disabilities.

My dream job is to be an international diplomat or an independent contractor for the deaf and other people who have limited privileges not only in the third world nations but also in the rest of the world. Moreover, another dream is to be a financial independent businessman and a real estate investor. I am sure these experiences will help me to empower and advocate for deaf people to be financially, morally, and academically educated and independent.

The Sasakawa Scholarship under the Nippon Foundation financially helps me to pursue my education here at Gallaudet University as the only deaf liberal arts university in the world. It also helping me in my future ambition to sustainably develop deaf culture, deaf education and the long-term strategic plan for deaf people to be financially, morally, socially and academically independent.