Akad Education Group - Africa

USA Opportunities 

Applying to the US can be a daunting process, with few institutions having relevant knowledge and experience to assist students in preparation, application, and admission processes. Many students miss out on colleges/universities admissions, let alone scholarship opportunities. Parents often wait until children complete high school before inquiring about the process, relying on family and friends who usually do not understand the college admission process

2. Solution

There is need to demystify US college admissions through proper structures & systems to alleviate the stress and time wastage in this process. It is crucial that students begin the process as early as their first year of high school to ensure proper understanding for success in admissions & scholarship opportunities programs. 

Dr. Emily Obuya, PhD is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at The Sage Colleges, New York, USA. In 2017, she was a recipient of the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship where she worked with USIU to develop a curriculum for a Bachelor of Technology in Analytical Chemistry program. She will be accompanied by three of her students

3. Content - Day 1  

The aim of the content is to bridge the gap by providing informational sessions and educational consulting and mentoring services that will allow families to learn the process to adequately prepare for and succeed in getting admission into US higher institutions. The initial one-day workshop will include the following:

• The US university ranking system; who gets in and why
  
• Adequate and early preparation as the key to ensure admission and success
  
• The comprehensive cost of a US college education and how to apply for scholarships
  
• Career consideration and job placement – before applying!
  
• Life skills training and mentoring as an important part of this process
  

Mentorship preparations for admissions & scholarships to top, world class universities. What SKILLS do you need to have in place?

• Building lasting self esteem & confidence
  
• Overcoming fears and self doubt that holds one back
  
• Having vision for success and setting goals
  
• Stategies for success
  
• Accountabiltiy plan + performance targets

Examples shared from the Leangap 2018 Summer Program, San Francisco, USA by Christie Weche include but are not limited to;

1. Peer Sharing of the Leangap personal experience,

• Why i wanted to go there,
  
• What i did to get there,
  
• How i did it! (Talk about leveraging your networks)  

2. Leangap Case Study: What our team did with Acumeal;  

•  Ideation
  
•  Team Formation
  
•  Market Research
  
•  Beta Testing & Customer Validation!
  
•  Financial Viability
  
•  Sales & Marketing
  
•  Public Speaking & Presentation

3.     Pros & Cons of high school entrepreneurship: Case studies of Leangap mentors + San Francisco startup and general business culture

4.       Activities:

• Build business within teams, to ideate, customer validate and pitch it to me!
  
•  Research Segments - 10 or so minutes to replicate on a small scale what we actually did at leangap!

5. Exploratory sessions on topic the audience wish to engage
6. Baisics of Mentorship
   
7.  Q&A
   

Resource persons

The profiles of students that Associate Professor Dr Emily Obuya will come with for the AKAD seminar on 21st  August 2018 are as below

1. Derek Larson is a senior at The Sage Colleges and is pursuing his bachelor's degree in applied biology with a concentration in pre-medical studies. He hopes to apply to medical school after graduating from college in May.

Derek enjoys participating in student organizations, tutoring physics and chemistry, and serving as an orientation leader for incoming students. Outside of college, Derek has worked as a medical scribe for Ellis Hospital and has volunteered as a teacher and construction worker in Larabanga, Ghana. Upon returning to the United States, Derek will begin studying for the MCAT and volunteering at a hospice. 

2. Kyle Peterson is currently a senior at The Sage Colleges located in Troy, New York. He is planning to graduate in May 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Biology.

Upon receiving his degree, he aspires to become a Physician Assistant who practices around the world. At this time, Kyle is employed at a Level 1 Trauma Center known as Albany Medical Center. There he works as an Emergency Department Technician and plans to continue this practice of medicine in the near future. 

3. Lindsay Callahan grew up in upstate New York and received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2012 at Russell Sage College in Troy, NY.

Since that time, she has been employed as a Registered Nurse in a level one trauma center; first in a neuro step down unit and now in a surgical and neuro Intensive Care Unit for the past 4 years. Lindsay made the decision to pursue acceptance to medical school and completed a two-year post-baccalaureate pre-medicine program this May. Lindsay took her MCAT test, required for admission to medical school shortly before coming to Kenya and will complete the application process following her return to the States this fall.