118 scholars from the Equity Leaders Program (ELP) have received admission and full financial aid to 56 global universities. The scholars comprise of Wings to Fly beneficiaries and students who topped the 2019 KCSE national examinations.
The 56 institutions are situated across five continents in different countries including the USA, Canada, China, Singapore, Mauritius, Ghana, Rwanda, South Africa, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and India. This year’s admissions bring the total the number of scholars admitted to global universities under the Equity Leaders Program to 754.
The global scholars will benefit from undergraduate scholarships from their host institutions valued at over USD 13,423,780 (Ksh 1,448,425,862). They will also receive a token of between Ksh. 100,000 to Ksh. 200,000 from Equity Group to facilitate their preparation and travel to their host countries.
20 scholars have been admitted to Ivy League Universities in the USA including Yale (4), Harvard (3), University of Pennsylvania (3), Princeton (1), Cornell (3), Dartmouth (2), Columbia (2) and Brown (2).
Commenting on the admissions, Equity Group Foundation Executive Chairman Dr. James Mwangi said, “Last year, 93 scholars had been admitted to global universities at a time like this, today, we are at 118 and counting with more scholars set to receive their admission letters within the next few weeks. In addition, 54 of these scholars have been admitted on full scholarships.”
ELP aims to empower young academically gifted scholars by supporting them in applying for admission and full financial aid from universities around the world and equipping them with leadership skills. This is done through a 6-9 months paid internship program, mentoring and coaching. Admission into a College Counselling Program runs for 3 months. Here, they are guided on the admission process and how to maneuver through a new education system.
Other than mentorship and leadership development, ELP is keen on spurring personal and professional development, creativity and innovation and community engagement amongst the scholars. This molds them into forward thinking young professionals with a heart for the community.
Locally, ELP scholars have come together in their universities to establish ELP Chapters. These are associations that allow them to regularly interact, brainstorm and find new ways of doing things within their line of careers and for the benefit of society.