Celebrating diversity, culture and community at Logos Hope and AKA Maputo
The Times of India: Civil society has to be driven by competence as well as ethics: Aga Khan
In light of the inauguration of The Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad, The Times of India reporter Ranjan Roy interviews His Highness the Aga Khan and focuses on his unique and forward thinking vision, which includes ethics, free-market economics, and civil society as essential elements of a well-rounded education.
AKA Mombasa organises first cross-campus Peace Summit
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Good Housekeeping: The New Year’s Resolutions (2022)
Aga Khan Academies students explore the Aga Khan Museum through virtual tour
Aga Khan Academy Dhaka Construction Diary
It has been an incredibly busy month since our last construction update at the Aga Khan Academy Dhaka! Our construction team have worked on the external brick work at all of the facades for our Nursery and Junior School. We are also pleased to see our Senior School courtyard! In addition, the team is wrapping up their work on the Nursery and Junior School classrooms, laboratories and administrative areas around the school.
We are so excited to see the Aga Khan Academy Dhaka campus coming together and we cannot wait for our students and staff to be welcomed on campus next year!
Shouquot Hussain: encouraging academic and holistic growth at AKA Mombasa
Shouquot Hussain was born and raised in India and has been the Vice Principal of the Diploma Programme (DP) at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa for seven years. He says his time and experience at the Academy have been the best seven years of his life, both professionally and personally. “To put it simply, the experience has been magical, happy, growth-inducing and memorable,” Shouquot says.
Shouquot says he will miss everything about the Academy; its diversity, the relationships he built with students and colleagues and the numerous events he got to be a part of. “I will miss it like I miss home,” Shouquot says. “My son literally grew up here. He was in Year 4 when he came here and has now completed the Middle Years Programme (MYP). In fact in all ways barring the passport, he is more Kenyan than he is Indian. Likewise, I will miss the home I built here – within the campus and without. I will miss the Mombasa vibe, which engulfs you with warmth, not frenzy.”
If there’s one thing the Academy has taught Shouquot, it’s to be respectful and accepting of the differences of others. “There are many ways to be right; I always knew this theoretically as an educator, but I got to really practice it experientially here,” He says.
While at the Academy, Shouquot has contributed to several academic achievements. As a teacher in the English department, the Higher Level English class he taught in 2016 achieved an average of 5.92, the highest to be attained thus far at AKA Mombasa. The English Extended Essay (EE) that he supervised went on to score the highest marks yet in Africa. Furthermore, he initiated the Extended Essay Fair where students could visit subject-specific specialists to better understand the expectations of the EE, discuss possible topics and learn about the resources available to students before beginning their EEs.
However, not all of his achievements were academic. Shouquot has always been a champion of activities that encourage the holistic growth of students beyond the classroom. In 2013 he revived the boys cricket programme in Senior School, which has since won a championship. There is now a girls cricket team too. He also established the annual DP play and supported many other programme and events such as TEDxYouth@AKAMombasa and the annual graduation ceremony among others.
“For the last seven years that I have worked with Shouquot, I have come to know him as a passionate teacher who finds his spark working with students,” says Francis Kariuki, Principal of Senior School. “He is also a compassionate person who has the interest of students and colleagues at heart. As a leader, he is firm and supportive with a strong sense of fairness and justice. He has a spontaneous and fun-loving personality with unmatched love for books and movies. He is generous and always looking for opportunities to bring fun to others. We will miss him in the Senior School leadership team.”
For his next stop, Shouquot will be joining the Beacon Academy, an International Baccalaureate (IB) school in Jakarta, Indonesia. There, he will navigate the DP English and Theory of Knowledge (TOK) programmes and introduce DP film studies as a subject. He also says he will support the school reinvent the curriculum design to allow for more experimentation and differentiated pacing with a bigger focus on formative assessments.
Qamili Dave (Class of 2017): Mastering the art of cooking
Qamili Dave is a passionate culinary arts professional from Mombasa, Kenya who graduated from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa in 2017, which she joined in Grade 1.
For Qamili, being part of the Academy was such an interesting and enriching experience – something she is always appreciative of as it shaped her to be the person she is today. For one, the open and trusting environment cultivated at the Academy helped to elevate her self-confidence as she fondly recalls, “The Academy really helped me to stand up for myself. I felt so safe asking teachers questions and they always encouraged it.” Joining college, she would continue to carry herself with the same confidence, eventually running and winning to become Student Council president at Boma International Hospitality College for two terms.
If there is one accomplishment Qamili is really proud of during her time at the Academy, it is the exciting opportunity she was afforded to intern at the Serena Beach Hotel Mombasa through the Academy's internship programme, where Diploma Programme 1 students intern with an Aga Khan Development Network agency or external organisation/company relevant to the field they would like to pursue. This chance, she says, defined the course of her career and future as it is where she became certain about pursuing a career in culinary arts.
“Although I knew I loved to cook, I wasn’t sure it was the right profession for me," she said. "However, during my internship, I realised I was on the right path. It was hands down the biggest stepping stone to my career because I learnt almost all the basics and this made college a breeze. The experience also introduced me to the real working environment; how to formally interact with people and some of the challenges I would face while working. All in all, I really enjoyed it.”
Although she has moved back home to Mombasa after graduating college because of the impact COVID-19 has had on the hospitality industry, Qamili says this has been a blessing in disguise. She has used this time to complete two online courses from Harvard University – "Science & Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science" in both chemistry and physics. She has also dedicated this time to growing her food page (@chaqula_) on Instagram and exploring recipes from different cultures. In addition, Qamili has been helping out her parents with their advertising and signage business, "Eyecatchers & Daughters", which she says has taught her a lot about running a business.
“It’s been eye-opening and refreshing."
Having found what she believes to be her calling in life, the thing that Qamili loves most about being a chef is preparing a good satisfying meal that warms the hearts of people, especially her loved ones.
For her words of wisdom to current students at the Academy in Mombasa, Qamili says: “I would tell them to appreciate their teachers and everyone supporting them. I would also tell them to work smart; to be effective and efficient in everything that they do. Lastly, I would advise them to take advantage of the internship opportunities provided by the Academy, to get as much exposure as they can as this will really give them insight on the career path that is right for them.”
Alqaim Lalani (Class of 2019): The importance of mentoring and positively contributing to the community
Although it has been a few years since he graduated from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, Alqaim Lalani, Class of 2019, says his years at the Academy had a major bearing on his academic career and strongly influenced his outlook on life. Now, as a graduate of Columbia University in New York, Alqaim is giving back to the Aga Khan Academies community that he says shaped his life and gave him so much.
Originally from Tanzania, Alqaim was actively involved in the Academy’s community. As a dorm captain in the residential programme, he learnt time-management skills, maturity and developed strong work ethics. He also gained a passion for positively contributing to his communities, which could be seen in the social enterprise he founded as a student called “Tumaini la Maisha Cancer Initiative”, which supports economically disadvantaged children suffering from cancer to raise money from crafts they make to subsidise their own care. His efforts gained widespread recognition in Tanzania, where he was named one of the ‘Most Influential Young Tanzanians’ for his achievements in social enterprise and philanthropy.
However, upon entering university, Alqaim discovered a new passion: mentoring students during their university application process. Since he began his undergraduate studies in 2019, Alqaim mentored International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme 1 and 2 Academies students, who he believes “are at a very critical stage in their lives,” because they are at the juncture of shifting from school to university.
“Transitioning from high school to university can be daunting, given the pressures to choose what you want to study, partake in activities and internships and ultimately determine how you want to start your career – all in the span of a few very consequential years,” Alqaim said.
Alqaim’s interest in wanting to mentor stems from his own experience at Columbia, where he was introduced to an alumni network and inclusive student community. He soon learnt that Columbia and some other universities actively supported first-year students in selecting courses, applying for campus societies and recruiting for selective careers.
“Even before stepping foot on campus, I was being supported by a community committed to my success, enabling me to transition quite seamlessly once I arrived on campus,” he says.
Alqaim knew he wanted to pay it forward and ensure other students felt this level of support. To date, Alqaim has mentored 11 Academies students from Mombasa and Hyderabad across varying aspects of the university application process. From building a shortlist of institutions that meet their academic and financial needs to approaching standardised tests with confidence and ultimately bringing their authentic self forward when voicing their achievements and background.
One of the students who benefitted from Alqaim’s mentorship is Ayaan Dewani, Class of 2023 from the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad, who is studying at Boston University with a full-ride scholarship.
"I am incredibly grateful for the invaluable assistance I received from Alqaim during my university application process,” Ayaan said. “His guidance and support were instrumental in helping me navigate the complex and often overwhelming journey toward higher education. He took the time to understand my interests, strengths and aspirations and then provided tailored advice on which universities would be the best fit for me. His insights were spot-on, and he helped me create a well-rounded list of target schools that aligned with my academic and personal goals.”
Considering it a privilege to work with students, Alqaim believes he, too, is benefitting from his mentoring.
“Serving as a mentor has helped improve my leadership skills, exposed me to new perspectives and consolidated lessons I previously learnt,” Alqaim said. “I believe the true value of mentorship lies in eliciting self-reflection and critical thinking from the mentee, rather than simply rearticulating one’s own experience.”
Although he is currently working in financial services, Alqaim continues to support Academies students through this journey by working with them to find internships and jobs that appeal to their talents, and helping them foster the transition from student to working professional by connecting them to other alumni a part of the Aga Khan Academies Alumni Association.
“My experience at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa has been pivotal in my life,” Alqaim says.
