Tsala set to graduate

Sabine Tsala Mvilongo

Sabine Tsala Mvilongo’s story is borne of three continents. Her family is originally from Benin and Cameroon, she was raised in France and now she is a student and star athlete at Southern Illinois University College of Business.

“I came to the United States with nothing and now I have everything,” said Tsala, a marketing student poised to graduate this August. Like so many SIU students, Tsala will be the first college graduate in her family. “My parents have their high school diplomas but their dream was for me to get a college education and now that dream is about to come true. I owe everything to my family – my success, my diploma, my happiness, everything.”

Tsala financed her college education with a tennis scholarship. She is the top women’s tennis player at SIU and one of the best in the country. “My father is a tennis coach and from the time I was a young child, he taught me to work hard,” said Tsala who practices every day.

Despite her hectic schedule, Tsala maintains a stellar academic record for which she credits marketing professors John H. Summey, Lynette L. Knowles and Suzanne A. Nasco. “Drs. Summey, Knowles and Nasco are great teachers. They are always helpful. I’ve had an amazing academic experience at CoBA,” she said.

Tsala dreams of owning a marketing firm and by the looks of it, she’s well on her way. “Sabine is a scholar and an athlete who sinks her teeth into every opportunity presented to her. I have no doubt she will be successful in whatever career path she chooses,” said Donna Margolis, director of the Career Services and Placement Center.