One man with an amazing life story is enjoying the educational opportunities at UBATC. Known by his friends as “Fofo”, Alphonse Nibishaka was only 6-years-old in the 1990s when civil war broke out in East Africa, his homeland. He and his family fled their home and lived the next 5 years in a tent in the mountains. Fofo recalls that the most damaging part of that time was the interruption to his schooling. “I spent 5 years without studying. Because of the war I lost 5 years of my education,” shares Fofo, who was a serious student growing up but was limited by the opportunities available to him. Since immigrating to the United States 18 months ago, Fofo’s passion for education has continued and he eventually ended up in Vernal where he enrolled in the UBATC Nursing Assistant program. In the time since, Fofo has developed friendships that are like family with his UBATC professors and classmates. Fofo has completed the Nursing Assistant program and is now taking online classes through BYU. In January he begins the process to eventually become a Registered Nurse, further utilizing the educational opportunities in the Uintah Basin.
