My “Last Mile Moment”

“Last Mile’s support made those dreams tangible. It wasn’t just funding, it was a reminder that people saw value in my journey and were willing to invest in it. That kind of belief is powerful.”

Avwerosuoghene "Avey" Etaghene

My day in community college started with the usual worry about how I was going to afford completing college without debt. Between juggling a full load of coursework and a part-time job, the dream of finishing my degree sometimes felt just out of reach. Then, an email popped up from Last Mile, saying I had been selected as a recipient. This was my Last Mile moment…

I clicked it open, and read that I’d been awarded a scholarship. I smiled so hard my friends immediately asked why I looked like I’d just won the lottery. In a way, I had.

I was born and raised in Nigeria, where education was always held as a powerful tool for change. When I moved to the United States, I started at Houston Community College with big dreams but limited resources. I knew I wanted to work at the intersection of technology and people’s lives, but the road wasn’t easy.

I first learned about Last Mile through a friend who casually mentioned it in conversation. They told me how the scholarship had made a huge difference for them, and that Last Mile even paid the award directly to students, giving them the flexibility to use it where it was most needed. I decided to apply, and that choice ended up making a real difference for me, too. The funding helped with costs, eased some of the day-to-day stress, and gave me the space to work less at my part-time job and focus more on my studies and opportunities.

With that extra time, I applied and competed in both national and international innovation competitions, gained real-world experience pitching ideas and worked on solutions to problems. I joined research projects at top universities, contributing to studies in technology and healthcare. I increased my involvement in student leadership as Student Government President, advocating for my peers and helping build stronger campus communities, and even received awards at Austin Texas for a top 3 student and Student Government Association in Texas for Junior and Community Colleges.

Along the way, I became a Last Mile Ambassador, sharing my journey with other students, encouraging them to apply, and showing them what’s possible when you have both talent and support. Some of my proudest moments have been hearing from other students who took that step after our conversations and found their own “Last Mile Moment”.

Last Mile’s support made those dreams tangible. It wasn’t just funding, it was a reminder that people saw value in my journey and were willing to invest in it. That kind of belief is powerful. Looking back, I see how important that support was. Last Mile didn’t just cover costs, it built my confidence and gave me a community of people who believed in my potential.

Today, I’m a transfer student at Stanford University, majoring in Symbolic Systems with a focus on human-centered AI. Every step I take now is built on the foundation Last Mile helped me lay during my community college years. As I look ahead, I hope to use my degree to design technology that uplifts communities, bridges inequities, and ensures innovation works for everyone.

As I move forward, I carry with me the lesson Last Mile taught me, that sometimes, the right support at the right moment can change the entire trajectory of a life. Thank you, Last Mile Education Fund, for meeting me in my “last mile” and walking it with me.