Finding His Place

When Vonne Bingham, A&S ’17, realized he had more than a $1.69 in his bank account, he knew it was a mistake.

“I called University of Cincinnati’s financial aid office and said, ‘I don’t know what happened, but money was deposited into my account,’” says the UC graduate about a mysterious $3,000 deposit.

Having very little money was not new to Vonne. His family had been homeless off and on for years. He arrived at UC after an injury ended his football career at another school.

“I was accepted at UC, but I had no way to pay for school or pay for a place to go,” he says. “I had a friend here who let me stay with him for a few days.”

Determined to continue his education, Vonne knocked on doors at the Richard E. Lindner Center trying to find a place for himself in athletics.

“I went from office to office, knocking,” he recalls. “I said, ‘Look, this is what I did last year, I have legs and they work, and you don’t have to pay me much, I just need a job.’ And the track team picked me up.”

To pay for housing and school, Vonne had three part-time jobs. He would start his day at 6 a.m. with the track team and end at 4 a.m. at his job as a bar bouncer. With only two hours of sleep a night, his grades suffered, as did his spirit.

“Now, looking back, I wish I had told my coaches,” he says. “When you’re going through it, it’s a big secret, you try to look normal as much as possible.”

Because of his mother’s complicated financial history, Vonne didn’t qualify for most loans or government help.

“Finally, I reached out to one of my professors who I was closest to and said, ‘I’m going to have to drop out. I’m in trouble,’” he remembers.

That professor was Brian Kinkle, Department of Biological Sciences, and he contacted Lisa Holstrom, the senior assistant dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. Lisa began working on securing a scholarship for Vonne — which led to the extra $3,000 in his bank account. Vonne was writing a reimbursement check to Student Financial Aid when a representative called and said it was scholarship money.

“I knew exactly who was guilty because there was only one person I told that I was dropping out,” Vonne says. “He was lecturing 450 kids, the biggest class on campus, I went right up to Dr. Kinkle and said, ‘I know what you did.’ He stopped lecturing in the middle of class and gave me the biggest hug. I slipped a few tears and he did too.”

He then tracked down Lisa, and they became fast friends — he calls her and Brian his parents.

With support, Vonne only had to work one job. His grades immediately improved and he made the dean’s list. He also picked up a second major, became a teacher’s assistant, a tutor, networked with doctors and completed an internship.

“I got a 4.0 GPA that summer,” he says. “My first two years, I received a 2.7 because I was too tired. I just hurt my grades. It wasn’t that I didn’t have the ability or drive, I just didn’t have the resources to allow me to excel.”

“A scholarship is why I’m here,” he adds. “The first time I met Lisa, she gave me meal passes and gift cards to Kroger. People don’t know about these things and resources that are here to help us. The people who really need these things are too busy trying to stay afloat. I got lucky, and a professor found it for me.”

After earning his degree in biomedical sciences and neurobiology, Vonne now sees medical school in his future. He also wants to help young people like himself.

“I’m just lucky more than anything,” he says. “We just need to help people — that is what matters.”

His UC parents know his character and resilience will allow him to succeed. 

“We didn’t help him that much — he did this all himself,” Brian says.  “All we’ve given him is opportunity. He’s going to go very far.”

In 2015-2016, Vonne was awarded the Matthew Woodside Award and the STEM Fellowship. In 2016-17, he received the First Generation Student Scholarship from A&S.

Learn more about scholarships and how you can help at foundation.uc.edu/scholarships.