About Abdoulaye

Hometown:
Guinea

University Partner:
John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Degree:
B.A. in Government, expected 2008

Grant Partner:
Center for Court Innovation

Senior Mentor:
Adam Mansky, Director of Operations

"I could not have dreamed of an experience like Steamboat when I first went to school in a small village in Guinea, West Africa. Steamboat associates and friends showed me that they have a place for any person who is willing to work hard, compete and win—regardless of the person's background. I am grateful to Steamboat for helping me understand that my background should never be a handicap, and that it is, in fact, my greatest asset as I reach for other goals."

Scholar Background

As a boy living in an impoverished village in Guinea with parents who never had the opportunity to get an education, Abdoulaye excelled in school once he was finally given the chance to attend at the late age of nine. In 2004, Abdoulaye had a rare opportunity to attend university in the United States and moved to New York to study at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Abdoulaye’s brother drove a taxicab to help him pay his way through college, while Abdoulaye worked unabatedly to achieve his goal of one day working as a proponent in the criminal justice system. Fluent in his native language Fulani, as well as French and English, Abdoulaye was the recipient of the John Jay College Honors Program Award and the 2007 Thurgood Marshall Scholarship. Abdoulaye’s eagerness to learn carries over to his desire to help others; he spent most of his extracurricular time working as a writing mentor at the Interdisciplinary Studies Program at John Jay.

Internship Highlight

The first Steamboat Scholar at the Center for Court Innovation, Abdoulaye contributed to comparative research on compliance monitoring in three New York City community courts. He analyzed the use of community service, social service and treatment programs as alternative judicial sanctions and also studied the processes, structures, and technologies that help defendants comply with court mandates. As a final project, Abdoulaye submitted “best practices” recommendations for compliance monitoring. In addition to working in the well-established court system, he was also involved in a feasibility study and planning process for the creation of a community court. 

Where are they now?

Abdoulaye graduated in 2009 and is currently working as a part time tutor in the Writing Center at John Jay College.