"When I was 12 years old, I dreamed of going to school overseas. My brothers thought I was crazed. Nine years later ­ I'm living my dream." – Yared Fubusa

Yared Fubusa worked for two years to get Longwood College on Dr. Jane Goodall's itinerary. She had promised Yared she would come. Because he came.
     In 1995 Fubusa was an assistant researcher at the Gombe Stream Research Centre, the youngest the Centre had ever had. That December his duties included serving as guide to seven U.S. APES and their chaperones. These APES, for African Primate Environmental Studies group, were Prince Edward County high school students. Since fifth grade they had planned this trip, encouraged by their talented-and-gifted program teacher Cathy Cottrell. Several times they had traveled to conferences in the U. S. to see Jane Goodall. When National Geographic awarded Goodall the Hubbard Medal in Washington, D. C., they were there ­ the only students invited. It had taken years of correspondence and encouragement from the Jane Goodall Institute, and a lot of support from family and school administrators back in Farmville, but here they were ­ Monte Foster, Kate Grenouillou, Anna Jordan, Daniel Lombana, Toby Schiffer, Laura Simpson and Louise Wells. Chaperoning the group were Cathy Cottrell, teacher Barbara Toney and Jim Jordan ­ Anna's dad and Longwood professor of anthropology.
      The APES and Fubusa bonded quickly. For years Fubusa had dreamed of going to school in the U. S. Why not Longwood? Even though Yared had been a good student and wanted more education, getting into Longwood from Tanzania was not easy. Fortunately, he had seven persistent teenagers, plus their supportive teachers, and families and school ­ not to mention letters of recommendation from Dr. Jane Goodall ­ to support him.
     Now, Yared is an honor student in economics with concentrations in the environment and mathematics at Longwood. For the Prince Edward County schools, he tutors and works with the Roots and Shoots program. He has helped launch such programs in 38 states. As a platform for his work in protecting animal habitats, Yared plans to pursue a Ph.D. in environmental economics. He has not lost the inspiration given by Dr. Jane when she visited his secondary school in Kigoma, Tanzania, and told him that he could make a difference.

– Judy McReynolds, Associate Editor

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