Covering Ebola, Cheryl meets Sister Barbara
In the winter of 2014-2015, I traveled with a colleague, Brian Castner, to Liberia to cover the Ebola outbreak. During our coverage, Brian interviewed Sister Barbara Brillant, F.M.M., the dean of Mother Patern College of Health Sciences in Monrovia. She’s also the national health coordinator for the National Catholic Health Council. An American citizen, she has lived in Liberia for almost 40 years. Brillant is a missionary with the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary who originally trained as a nurse and midwife and has a master's degree in public health from Boston University.
When Brian and I returned to the States following our coverage, I kept thinking about the dedicated Liberian medical professionals, teachers and the nuns who worked with such relentless courage and limited supplies to help those suffering and dying from Ebola. And I thought of the students studying to be health care workers at Mother Patern.
“Thank you so much for the introduction and the interest. The answer is YES, Yes and YES. Many times my heart bleeds when I have to drop a student from the college that has good academic standings but no finance. I try not to do it but the school cannot afford to let all go free.”
I sent an email to Sister Barbara and asked if she knew of a young woman who could benefit from a scholarship. She suggested Davidetta Forkpah, who is pursuing a degree in social work.
We reviewed Davidetta’s application materials, including her grade reports and personal statement. In August 2017, we offered Davidetta a scholarship to continue and complete her education and degree.
