Scholarship winner found his purpose

College has given Sicklerville’s Khaleel Theophile a blank slate – a purpose.

He was born in New Jersey, but his earliest memories were of being raised by his godmother in Haiti. Theophile came to the U.S. in 2010 after a devastating earthquake in his home country, and with a thick accent and a sense of displacement, he tried to assimilate to American life.

Slowly losing parts of his Haitian identity attempting to fit in, Theophile felt disconnected from his family and friends in both countries. After returning to Haiti as a teen to attend a wedding, he reconnected with his homeland and began to re-learn Creole.

It was then that Theophile realized he didn’t have to choose between two identities. He continued through school quiet and reserved and became involved in his community.

Theophile was honored with the 2026 Boddie Scholarship at the 29th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration breakfast on Jan. 19 at East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania. He was one of four recipients, who each received a $4,200 scholarship award for the upcoming spring semester.

Theophile is a junior majoring in computer science and has found purpose through campus involvement and community outreach during his time at the university, according to a school press release.

The Mary Gertrude Smith Boddie Scholarship Fund provides financial assistance to undergraduate students who demonstrate a commitment to social justice through community and/or university service. In 1904, Boddie was the first African American student to graduate from what was then known as East Stroudsburg State Normal School.

The King celebration breakfast began in 1997. It also honored students who received the Martin Luther King Jr. Award and high-school students who submitted to the Julianna and Wayne Bolt Art Contest.