As Nkumba University prepares for its 27th Graduation Ceremony, scheduled for October 25, 2025, one of the graduands, Tap John Puol, a First-Class degree contender in Public Health, seems to be reaping his academic fruits in Germany. Tap narrates his story built on perseverance and consistent pursuit of academic excellence.
Born and raised in Unity State, South Sudan, Puol’s childhood was shadowed by adversity. His community, battered by tropical diseases and catastrophic floods, often lived in despair. “I watched my relatives, neighbors, refugees, and internally displaced persons fall sick and sometimes die from preventable diseases like hepatitis B, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS,” he recalls with emotion.
Those early experiences ignited in him a passion for public health. In August 2022, he made a life-altering decision, resigning from a well-paying job as a technical expert in food security and WASH with Welthungerhilfe, to enroll at Nkumba University. “I wanted to reinforce the already overwhelmed healthcare workforce in South Sudan,” he says.
His academic journey has been marked by perseverance. Before joining Nkumba, he earned a First-Class Bachelor’s Degree in Sustainable Agriculture and Extension from Ndejje University. He alos holds a Master of Science in Environmental Management from Kampala International University.
Today, Puol’s story has gone global. He is currently in Germany, pursuing a Master of Science in Global Health, Nutrition, and Tropical Medicine at the University of Bayreuth under the DAAD Scholarship. His ambitions don’t stop there. “After this, I will transition to a PhD in the United Kingdom,” he reveals.
Puol is quick to credit his mentors for shaping his journey, especially Dr. David Musoke, a lecturer at Nkumba University who supported his scholarship applications. “Dr. Musoke saw the potential in me and encouraged me to apply for international scholarships. His guidance made a big difference,” Puol gratefully notes.
Puol says, he owes this to Nkumba University. “I am a proud Nkumba University product and will carry Nkumba University in my heart forever and ever.”
As he dons his gown on graduation day, Puol’s journey from the flood-prone villages of Unity State to classrooms in Europe will serve as an inspiration, proving that with courage and vision, one can truly rise from learning to leading.
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