By John Sande.

On Friday, 24 July, 2020, the Admissions Office held a virtual career talk for prospective students from Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) group alongside their mentors and Careers teacher.

SHOFCO is a grassroots movement that catalyzes large-scale transformation in urban slums by providing critical services for all, community advocacy platforms, and education and leadership development for women and girls. SHOFCO works to disrupt survival mode and build a promising future for urban slum dwellers, with a focus on women and children as the key to community transformation.

The first cohort of over 40 participants drawn from 11 different high schools spread across the country were eager to get information on programs offered at USIU-Africa, admissions criteria, career options, scholarships, internships, among many others. The second cohort is scheduled to have a similar session with the Admissions team in August.

The participants were taken through a virtual tour of the university, which was concluded by a presentation on the admissions requirements to join the various programs offered, and a Q&A session to respond to the numerous questions asked by the prospective students.

In his opening remarks, Dr. George Lumbasi, the Chief Admissions Manager thanked SHOFCO group for the continued support to USIU-Africa especially during community service engagements with USIU-Africa’s students.

“We continue to partner and engage with the various stakeholders to prepare our prospective students as they transition into higher learning, and beyond. We are pleased that you have been part of the process to make our students more socially responsible,” he said.

In his keynote address to the students, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Paul Zeleza begun by giving a brief historical background of USIU-Africa and gave an in-depth explanation as to why USIU-Africa was a notch higher above the competition.

“We are the most international and national university you will encounter in East Africa, comprising over 74 countries represented, and accommodating young people from across all the 47 counties in the country. The opportunity to encounter and the experience you receive from these interactions is one that you will treasure for the rest of your life,” he said.

On the COVID-19 pandemic which has greatly disrupted the education sector, and the protocols the university had put in place, the Vice Chancellor noted that USIU-Africa was committed to ensuring that the students continued to access world-class education by staying on the cutting edge of technology to continuously enhance online learning.

“By leveraging on our state-of-the-art technological infrastructure and systems, we ensured seamless transition to online learning platforms such as Blackboard, the Library e-resources and video conferencing through Zoom and BlueJeans, demonstrating USIU-Africa’s preparedness for academic and business continuity in times of adversity,” he said.

“We are also developing cutting edge programs to tap into the current demands of the digital revolution that will enable acquisition of skills necessary for a successful career in the 21^st Century,” he added.

The Vice Chancellor was also excited to share information on the recently signed partnership between Mastercard Foundation and USIU-Africa that will enable 1,000 high-performing students faced with financial, gender, displacement, or disability constraints receive quality education and leadership development over the next 10 years under the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.

“We are the only university in Kenya to have been selected by the Mastercard Foundation to be a partner in the provision of scholarships to young people from disadvantaged financial backgrounds and other marginalized communities. This goes a long way in proving to you that our education will truly take you places,” he said.

“With the support of the Mastercard Foundation, we look forward to significantly expanding the impact and reach that USIU-Africa has had across the world, by moulding students who will catalyze Africa’s continued advancement into a better, brighter future. By embracing the Scholars Program, we will increase the international student population from 15 percent to 20 percent, which is in line with the university’s strategy of internationalization. The Program will enhance the socio-economic diversity of the student population as it will increase the number of students with disability, refugees, young women and displaced youth to address barriers to higher education for these marginalized populations,” he concluded.