Sarah Samuel: Africa Leadership University Scholarship

AKA Mombasa’s Class of 2020 received prestigious scholarships worth over USD $6 million to attend reputable universities worldwide. The highly competitive, need and merit-based scholarships are awarded to outstanding students who have shown exceptional academic strength, leadership skills, and involvement in community service, co-curricular activities and student affairs. Over the next few days, we will highlight some of the recipients.

Sarah Samuel, who joined the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa through the Talent Identification Programme in 2014, received a MasterCard Foundation scholarship to the African Leadership University (ALU) in Mauritius to study business management. The scholarship covers everything: tuition, housing/accomodation, health insurance, meals, and travel costs - 1 annual round-trip ticket from home country to either ALU Rwanda or Mauritius. 

“It was a dream come true and I couldn't be more grateful,” Sarah shared about receiving the scholarship. “After spending sleepless nights writing university essays and looking at various scholarship options I can say that I felt like I had won an Oscar. I cried joyful tears as I called my parents to tell them the news. I knew I had made them proud considering the fact that I am the only girl and person in my family to have been given the opportunity to attend university.”

Sarah attributes this honour to her academic and co-curricular pursuits, as well as the leadership experiences provided by AKA Mombasa over the years. “Serving as a Residential Captain in the residences and my athletic journey in basketball taught me to be a bona fide leader as it equipped me with skills such as perseverance, commitment and determination,” Sarah said. Outside of the Academy, she pursued an online bridging programme conducted by ALU’s partner university in the UK - Glasgow Caledonian University. 

A beneficiary of the Academy’s Talent Identification Programme, Sarah feels thankful for the continuous support she received during her time at the Academy. “I will always remember this phrase from the school prayer - ‘in a world where many are in need I am fortunate’, I truly appreciate the Academy for making this a possibility. Thank you for giving me a platform to discover my true value in this world.”