Mr. Omar Jawo, a Gambian residing in the United States of America, was recently awarded with one of the most prestigious academic awards by the Fordham Graduate School of Social Work in Fordham, New York.

"The Allegra Benvisniste Honigman BASW Graduate Award" was conferred on Mr. Jawo in New York recently at a ceremony held at Fordham, The award ceremony was attended by family members and Gambian loved ones residing in the US.

According to our sources, the award is only given to the best student who performs at a superlative level in the classroom and in fieldwork with the highest grade point averages (GPA) which Mr. Jawo earned at 389 points.

Mr. Jawo, who first attended the New York Career Institute, was admitted as member of the PHI ALPHA NATIONAL HONOUR SOCIETY.  He has also been on the dean’s list for 3 consecutive years and has been a member of the Alpha Sigma Lambda Honour Society for Adult Students.

A Gambian father of five children, Mr. Jawo plans to come back to The Gambia after finishing a master’s degree in social work.  "One of my dreams is to come back to The Gambia and help through education," he said.

Prior to his traveling to the USA, Mr. Jawo had been working with Non-Governmental Organisations in The Gambia that help young Islamic students (Almoudos) whose organisation is called the Islamic Relief Association (ISRA). The ISRA has also been working in partnership with the Nova Scotia Gambia Association and the Canadian International Development Association (CIDA).