BETHEL — Gould Academy senior Oluibukon “Tutu” Ekpebor was recently surprised with a $5000 scholarship for overcoming tremendous odds to achieve a college education.

When not at Gould, Ekpebor resides in Roxbury, Mass. She plans to attend either Suffolk University, Skidmore College or Fordham University next fall.

Her scholarship is part of the Sun Life Rising Star Awards Program. Created by Boston, Mass.-based financial services company Sun Life Financial, the program aims to address low high school graduation rates in large urban areas by providing financial and educational resources to students and nonprofit organizations committed to increasing success in high school and beyond.

Tutu was nominated for her scholarship by Sun Life Rising Star Award nonprofit winner Tenacity, which helped her develop her love for tennis, which she plays at Gould, and also focus on her studies, which allowed her to prosper academically.

Tutu was raised mainly by her older sister, and thus also helped care for her sister’s young children. During her middle school years she struggled some with the balance between taking care of herself and helping with her sister’s kids. Before she joined Tenacity she admits she had few goals for herself and she was unaware of opportunities available to her. She was talked into joining Tenacity by her family and a school teacher who were worried that she did not have anything constructive to do after school. Tenacity combines tennis lessons with academic tutoring, so kids get to learn to play tennis from former pros, but only after they complete necessary schoolwork.

In her first year at Tenacity she realized that the best way she could help her family was actually to focus on being a good role model herself and building a strong foundation of academic skills. She eventually improved her grades so much so that she applied and was accepted to the Beacon Academy, a selective 14-month gap-year program that prepares promising inner-city youth for enrollment at competitive independent high schools, like Gould.

After Beacon Academy, Tutu was accepted to Gould. She was suddenly very much a minority and was subject to many stereotypes as a young woman from the inner city at a private school in Maine. But by joining Gould’s Diversity Council and other extracurricular activities, clubs and teams she has become a pivotal member of the Gould community.

Tenacity nominated her for her Rising Star Award because of her perseverance in achieving a college education and the work she now continues to do every summer back in Boston as a counselor at their summer program.