Last month, Koenig was proven right.
Koenig and Emmanuel Fle Chea, two Wells students from the West African country of Liberia, will graduate this year thanks to a $30,000 grassroots campaign launched after tuition funding from their sponsor fell through. The campaign saw Wells alumni, the Aurora community and the college itself come together to ensure Koenig and Chea's education doesn't end for reasons beyond their control.
"I don't have a word to express how I felt," Koenig told The Citizen. "I'm grateful to everyone who donated, and I promise to pay it forward someday."
Chea added, "I was shocked and amazed by their kind gesture. This singles out that I am in a community that cares and wants me to succeed."