How Sunward Scholarship essay contest winner Solomon Gbara is using educational support to reinvest in his community.
Video Transcript
(:03 - :12): Hi everyone, my name is Solomon Gbara. I'm a recent graduate from the University of New Mexico. I was a proud recipient of the Sunward Scholarship.
(:12 - :27): The Scholarship has provided me opportunities to expand my network and take my education on to a whole other level. For example, I went to Phoenix for the 30 Under 30 Forbes summit, which was an incredible networking opportunity for me.
(:28 - :50): I put together a conference for the first time this year called “How to Win as a UNM Student” — students teaching students the skills they need to succeed. We worked with a number of institutions to get the resources to make this happen, and Sunward was a big part of that for me and my ability to reinvest in the people who have helped me to get to where I'm at today.
(:51 - 1:15): I feel inclined to inspire as many people as I can through helping them achieve their goals. The reason I do that is because I believe community is a group of people moving toward a shared goal, and, for me, New Mexico and the University of New Mexico has been an amazing community that has inspired me to achieve my goals, and I want to give back and help others achieve theirs.
Solomon Gbara believes in the power of community and reinvestment.
A recent University of New Mexico graduate who's currently pursuing his graduate degree, Solomon spent much of his college years building meaningful relationships to make a positive impact in the communities around him.
The Sunward Scholarship played an important role in helping him pursue those goals. As a Sunward Scholarship recipient and essay contest winner, Gbara has been able to focus on his education while continuing his commitment to community engagement and service.
Awarded every year to full-time students pursuing higher education, the Sunward Scholarship essay contest is one of the most impactful ways the credit union powers the economic engine of the Southwest, investing directly in the next generation of leaders.
Solomon was one of the Scholarship winners in 2025. The scholarship’s flexibility in what it can be used for and overall focus on financial empowerment is what inspired him to apply.
Being awarded the Scholarship unlocked new opportunities for Solomon, both in terms of making personal and professional connections and helping fellow University of New Mexico students.
Solomon recently hosted the inaugural “How to Win as a UNM Student” Conference, which brought more than 100 University of New Mexico students together to learn how to succeed in college together. The conference featured student speakers from across the university who instructed attendees on all of the unique scholarship, internship, and networking opportunities afforded to them at UNM.
“I believe community is a group of people moving toward a shared goal, and, for me, New Mexico and the University of New Mexico has been an amazing community that has inspired me to achieve my goals,” Solomon said. “I want to give back and help others achieve theirs.”
As Solomon continues his education and community-focused work, he remains committed to a simple but powerful principle: success means lifting others along the way. His story reflects the spirit of the Sunward Scholarship and the belief that investing in individuals can strengthen entire communities.
Learn more about Solomon's story in the video above, and discover how Sunward's commitment to community involvement helps support meaningful impact beyond financial services.
