Nearly 40 years ago, a scholarship from the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties helped a young woman from Nairobi, Kenya, continue her education and pursue her dreams. Today, that same scholar, Dr. Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, serves as director of the Industry and Economy Division at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, where she leads global efforts to promote sustainable industry and economic development.
“I reached out to the Foundation because I wanted to express my gratitude for the funding that helped ease the financial pressure of going to school,” Sheila said. “It helped me get to where I am today.”
Sheila grew up in Nairobi, the daughter of two educators. Her father taught at Jamhuri High School, earning about 3,000 Kenya shillings a month, which she recalled was much less than minimum wage in the United States at the time. Her mother started a small kindergarten to help make ends meet. “I was her first student,” Sheila said with a smile.
Inspired by her parents’ resilience and determination, Sheila dreamed of becoming a wildlife veterinarian. But the costs of studying veterinary medicine were high, and she was told that either a parent had to be a veterinarian or she had to have been raised on a farm. Undeterred, she pursued life sciences and enrolled at Florida Atlantic University, where a scholarship from the David C. Scott Fund at the Community Foundation helped make her education possible.
“My father told me he could pay for my first semester at university and managed to secure my airfare through a local trust,” Sheila said. “After that, I had to find ways to pay for my school fees by getting small jobs here and there. The scholarship allowed me to ease some of that pressure.”
Those small jobs ranged from cleaning houses to stacking books in the university bookstore, but they also helped her develop the creativity and determination that would serve her later in life. “Eventually, I started buying and selling used cars on campus after a friend, who is now my husband, taught me how to fix them up,” she said. “The scholarship gave me the chance to move from just managing to survive to becoming more entrepreneurial and courageous.”
After earning her degree in the United States, Sheila went on to complete a master’s and later a doctorate in development studies from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom, all while advancing a distinguished career in environmental policy and global sustainability. Today, as part of UNEP’s senior management team, she works to integrate environmental, social, and economic goals worldwide.
“What I love most about my work is seeing how environmental, social, and economic goals can be met in tandem,” she said.
Reflecting on her journey, Sheila credits a wide circle of mentors and supporters for shaping her success. “My parents, my siblings, my spouse, my teachers and professors, my supervisors and colleagues, and the strangers whose paths crossed mine and touched my life,” she said. “David C. Scott was one of them. Thank you.”
Her philosophy of perseverance continues to guide her. “Journeying through hardship makes us who we are today,” she said. “If we ride it with perseverance and determination, with a little support here and there, it makes us stronger, better people.”
Sheila hopes her story inspires others to give back. “People like David C. Scott are a blessing to the planet and its people because they use their wealth to create a better society,” she said. “I hope more people will spread their wealth in ways that can positively benefit people and the planet.”
