Critical thinker. Life-long learner. Global citizen. Three traits, fostered during his time at the Aga Khan Academy, that characterise Danish Dhamani as he now graduates from Drexel University with a BSc in Mechanical Engineering. A 2013 graduate from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, Danish was an integral part of the residential community and president of the Student Representative Council during his two years at the school.

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When asked about his most cherished memories, Dhamani reminisced about the sense of community that developed as a result of the residential program. “People became really close to one another, like an extended family. We had meals together, we celebrated birthdays and special occasions together, and we studied together… One really memorable event for me was singing ‘Happy birthday and kata keki’ (‘cut the cake’ in Swahili).” Danish’s term serving as president of the Student Representative Council was similarly rooted in the idea of building a familial sense of community, and most of his events were geared towards achieving this goal.

Four years later, Danish continues to think outside the box and combine his personal interests with making a difference in the society. Upon arriving at university, he discovered that he needed to improve his public speaking skills. Danish realised that this is a problem that affects many people around the world.

His solution to this problem? Orai.

Orai is a mobile app that aims to make anyone become a better public speaker using artificial intelligence. From tracking the number of ‘ums’ and ‘you knows’, to assessing the “tone” of your speech, the app provides a comprehensive report and suggestions on how you could become a better presenter. The intelligent engineering of the algorithms and attention to detail in the app literally leaves no person speechless.

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At present, his venture has won approximately $50,000 in prizes. Orai won 2^nd place in the Microsoft US Imagine Cup Finals and advanced with 6 other ventures to the Imagine Cup World Finals in July 2017. Motivated to take his venture to the next level, along with his co-founder, Danish will be working full-time on Orai post-graduation. His efforts and dedication towards Orai has now impacted the lives of over 30,000 users around the world. 

As he reflects on his time at the Academy, Danish specifically remembers his classes with Mr. Alchin. “He looked at the world very differently,” he notes. Teachers such as Mr. Alchin instilled in Danish the capacity and willingness to think outside the proverbial box. In preparing him for university, both the International Baccalaureate curriculum and the opportunity to engage in extracurricular activities broadened his perspective towards the world and made him a lifelong learner.

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His vision for the future is to be able to reside in a world where individuals are exposed to the global issues such as food insecurity and global warming from a young age, and are equipped with knowledge on latest technological advancements to engage in problem solving and action driven initiatives.

By Karina Hussein

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“I believe that with education, people have the power to tackle and solve problems that affect their communities,” reflects Kelvin Njue, a graduate from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa.

Upon graduating from the Academy in 2015, Kelvin was unsure if he would be able to pursue higher education until he received an email about the Ontario Tuition Waiver Programme from his university counsellor at the Academy. 

“I intended to go to university straight after high school, but I needed to take a gap year so that I could find the means to attend university.”

During his gap year after graduating, he found out about the waiver programme.

“I applied as I knew acquiring a university education would change my life and would open up many other opportunities. Without the tuition waiver programme, I was going to struggle to attend an institution of higher education. It gave me hope and is something that has allowed me to access quality education.”

During his gap year, Kelvin interned at the Diamond Trust Bank in Nairobi, assisting clients with their day-to-day banking needs and providing customers with banking solutions.

Kelvin is currently enrolled in the faculty of arts and science at the University of Toronto, aspiring to complete the financial economics (specialist) programme with a minor in employment relations. Kelvin shares his love for economics.

“I have always had an interest in economics and have wanted to study it since high school. I wanted to find a job during my gap year that would allow me to apply concepts in economics. I felt that working in the bank aligned with both my academic and career aspirations.”

In his first year of university, Kelvin was enrolled in economics, mathematics and sociology courses, of which sociology has been his favourite.

“I am really enjoying looking at social inequality and social institutions and how society functions. It ties into economics really well and how society works in different ways.”

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When Kelvin is not studying, he spends his time playing intramural volleyball, playing drums with students from his dormitory and exploring Toronto. For Kelvin, one of the biggest adjustments he had to deal with in his move to Canada was the weather.

“I have been away from my family for many years attending school, so that wasn’t as difficult for me. The hardest thing for me was getting adjusted to the weather in Canada.”

Kelvin has embraced the cold winters in Canada, learning to ice skate this past winter. Kelvin is hoping to become more involved with extracurricular activities offered by the University of Toronto next year.

“For next year, I would like to join the Business Board on the University of Toronto governing council board. The opportunity allows members to manage different business activities that take place around the university and I am very interested in this. I also want to explore different sports next year and would like to join intramural teams.”

One of Kelvin’s passions that began to cultivate throughout his time at the Academy is ensuring that all people have access to a quality education.

“Because I have had so much support from the Academy and different programmes that helped to finance my own academics, I would also like to give this opportunity to other children to get the same quality of education that I have been able to acquire. I want to start up an organisation or programme that can offer financial support or scholarships for students so that they can also attend school and get an education.”

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During his time at the Academy, Kelvin was able to visit a slum in Nairobi and worked with students from Grades 1 to 6 for a six-week period, partnering with the Aga Khan Foundation to distribute reading materials, books, pencils and bags to students living in the community. Kelvin attributes his passion for wanting to make a change in the world to his time at the Academy.

“I think the Academy was able to give me self-confidence and motivated me to believe that I am an agent of change in making the world a better place and that I should always take every opportunity to make a change, no matter how big or small it is."

By Karina Hussein