Medicine

From Africa to Hershey: Student benefits from the support of people around him

Medical school is tough. It’s even tougher when English is your second language and the support of your family is an ocean way in the capital city of Yaoundé in Cameroon, Africa.

For Lionel Kankeu Fonkoua, his success is found in the support he’s received from the people around him since stepping off an airplane in Miami 10 years ago when he was 17. That support has helped shape his journey through his schooling, and now the beginning of his career.

Kankeu Fonkoua is a member of Penn State College of Medicine’s Class of 2015, which graduates this Sunday.

“My story starts with my paternal grandmother passing away from stomach cancer,” Kankeu Fonkoua said. “That’s when I started to learn a little about cancer. I was very intrigued. It’s been a driving force since then.”

After considering attending college in France (Cameroon is a former French colony), he decided to come to the United States.

Read more of Kankeu Fonkoua’s story in this Penn State Medicine article.

Lionel Kankeu Fonkoua Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated May 15, 2015

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