At the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, Ham Serunjogi – CEO and co-founder of African fintech giant Chipper Cash – realised the importance of staying connected to something larger than himself. The Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree is now serving as an advisor to the US President on African diaspora engagement.
Grade 5 students meet the new Dean of Studies
Holistic and pluricultural educational approach
The Aga Khan Academy Maputo has been featured in Mozambique's Xonguila magazine. The 11 page spread discussed everything from the Academy's educational approach, the role of media in instruction and importance of community service within the curriculum.
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Xonguila magazine
Enrichment programmes
All enrichment programmes held at the Aga Khan Academy Maputo, every Tuesday and Thursday, will end on Friday, 1 December 2023. Pick-up time for the aforementioned days will be at 2:45 pm. Roller skating and robotics lessons will continue until 8 and 11 of December, respectively. For more information, please contact the school secretaries.
Taxonomy family:
AKAHMUN 2014 – The Future is Now
“I declare AKAHMUN 2014 open.” The crowd roared with applause. A smile broke out on our faces, for we knew the story of the three months that had gone into making this day a reality.
It all began on 22 August, 2014, when the Secretariat for the Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad Model United Nations 2014 was finally announced. There was excitement in the air, as well as anxiety. We weren’t sure how we would raise the bar set last year. I was unsure of how the team would work together, how passionate they were and whether offsite management would work. I had organized the Model UN last year too, but this time, it was different. I wasn’t on campus and I didn’t know the new lot of students I was dealing with.
We began our journey with our first ever Model UN meeting. I expected the meeting to start late, for punctuality was rare to see. However, I got my first surprise, when every single member turned up not only on time, but half an hour early! That day I knew that no one would follow the timeline. Not because they’d miss the deadlines, but because their absolute dedication to AKAHMUN drove them to accomplish much more than what was required of them.
We planned out an extensive timeline of every aspect of the conference, a string of meetings and the nature of committees. Although everything looked perfect, I knew from experience that I must expect speed breakers, for if there are no problems, I know that I am surely doing something wrong.The first hurdle we encountered was in dealing with the day scholars. As part of the pre-Model UN preparation, we decided to organize trainings for the delegates. However, because this time around we had day scholars taking part too, we needed to ensure that we included them in every aspect of the conference. Arranging bus timings, coordinating with parents and taking permissions from teachers was a massive task. There were times when we wouldn’t be able to include the day scholars, when the timings wouldn’t match or when the day scholars had other programmes on schedule. However, we tried to reach out to as many as possible because it was a start, indeed. If it weren’t for my anchor, the Secretariat back on campus, it would have been impossible to organize such trainings.
The second hurdle we encountered was when we needed to finalise the committees. All the members of the Executive Board were excited about the idea of a Joint Crisis Committee (the Allied and Axis Cabinet), where the workings of one committee affect the workings of another. We had just one question in mind: would the first-time delegates be able to pull it off? The decision to go ahead with this committee was a risk, for crisis committees require a certain level of debate and experience. However, I also knew that with the Directors I had, I could trust that they would leave no stone unturned.
Logistics are by default the biggest area of concern in any conference, for it is by far the hardest job to pull off. The job entailed printing folders, placards, arranging the venue, the speakers, lights, cold drinks and much more. Last year, we didn’t have as many delegates to cater to, but this time around the number was massive. There was surely an inverse relationship between the number of days left for the conference and the number of challenges we faced. There were times when we were disheartened at a permission not going through or a delay in procurement of materials. Yet, it was the DP1 lot of the logistics team that stood strong. They travelled off campus, to far away locations, to get materials, send documents for printing and purchase eatables. I was truly surprised at the amount of effort they put in both during and after the conference. They worked during Diwali breaks and on weekends, like professionals, and never complained at having to do the most trivial tasks.Fast forward three months. It is 14 November 2014. After hours of tireless work, pushing ourselves to meet deadlines, and sleepless nights, it was D-Day. The air was filled with excitement and nervousness, as first-timers walked into committees, unaware of what to expect. And it wasn’t just the delegates, the Directors too were nervous, for most of them were taking the other side of the dais for the first time. Seeing the delegates buzzing through the committee rooms, we knew that the roller coaster ride had just begun. All we heard over the next three days were: Do we have projectors in all committees? Is the AC working? Are there enough chocolates in each committee? Where are the pens? Whether it be lunch, breakfast or dinner, we all forgot what it was to have a proper meal because our main focus was to get the delegates in committee.
All the efforts paid off when I received two unusual requests, over the three days of the conference. A member of the IT team, who had enrolled his name on the team to avoid participating in debate, came up to me and asked if he could participate in a committee. Initially, I was upset at this last minute request and so I asked him why he had made such a sudden request. What he replied then stayed with me throughout the conference. He told me that on seeing the enthusiasm amongst the delegates, he wanted to experience what it was like to be one. And so without any prior research, he sat through committee sessions and eventually won an award. This incident made me realize the potential at the Academy. It is only a matter of pushing them to apply themselves.
Another time, a 7th grader, who had entered the conference as a logistic member, came up to me and expressed his grief. On further probing, he told me that he really wanted to be a delegate, but couldn’t because he was a 7th grader. He had been so mesmerized by the whole event that he wished to take part. I smiled, with a sense of pride, at the impact of the conference. Over the next three days, the 7th grader debated issues in ECOSOC, argued with his seniors, and remained unintimidated by their age or knowledge.AKAHMUN 2014 had the power to bring about change. The JCC, which we were most skeptical about, brought out the best in delegates. The morning crisis, which initially made the students cranky, became the highlight of the three days. Students who initially didn’t openly accept the idea of a Model UN, jumped to take part. More importantly, though, I learnt, in the months leading up to the conference, the value of a great team. This team had dedication, passion and the will power, to make the impossible, possible. They were patient in low times, calm when faced with criticism and passionate about their goal. They worked day and night, at times when IB work was at its peak and applications lingering on their heads. They were truly the support system of this conference.
When I hear today how after the MUN, 7th grade students returned to their rooms, formed their own committees, elected their own Secretary General, came up with their own crisis and still use parliamentary language in daily conversation, I know that the Model UN tradition started in 2013, will continue for years to come. When I hear students asking about the next conference they can attend, I know that a spark has been ignited. When I hear that people are vying for the posts on the Secretariat next year, I know a culture has been sowed.
As we pass the baton on, we have realized the power of Model UN conference.
By Alisha Sonawalla
Fatema Sheikh (Class of 2012): Advocating Educational Equality
“My experience at the Academy definitely prepared me better [for life after graduation] than some of my other friends who attended different schools.”
Fatema Sheikh carries the lessons she learnt during her time at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa with her to date.
Fatema joined the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa community in 2009 and graduated in 2012. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in consumer behaviour and marketing at the University of Reading on a full scholarship – an achievement for which she appreciates the support she received at the Academy through university counselling. She has had a colourful university career so far and hopes to graduate with her degree in the summer of 2015.
In the summer of 2013 after her first year at university, Fatema underwent a three-month internship with Champions Life Academy – an organisation which recruits and trains undergraduate students from universities to raise funds for various charities.
“This internship appealed to me, especially because it was related to my course of study as well as being able to support a worthwhile cause.”
She raised funds for a charity called Action for Blind People.
“This internship strengthened a lot of my skills, such as communication, negotiation and time management as well as improving my people skills tenfold. I am now able to approach and communicate with anybody.”
In addition to the work she did over the summer, Fatema was also heavily involved in various community activities through the university’s RED Award scheme.
Currently, she spends her time as a volunteer working with special needs children. Her desire to get involved with something like this was sparked during her time at the Academy in Mombasa. As part of her creativity, action, service (CAS) component of the Diploma Programme (DP), she spent time working with children in the special support unit of the Junior School, helping them with one-on-one or small group sessions on areas such as reading and comprehension.
“As difficult as it is, it is equally rewarding. When you get the child to enjoy what they are doing and play a part in helping them learn, it is very fulfilling.”
One situation she reflects on is her success in working with a student with several impairments, such as delayed speech, hearing impairment and a slight problem with balance.
“Helping and encouraging her made me feel like I was contributing to her understanding of various concepts," she says. "Working with children is always a two-way thing – they teach you as much as you teach them.”
In the past, she has also been involved in cultivating a garden at a school as well as volunteering at a family church in Reading during Christmas.
Fatema also places great worth on the advice she got from the Academy in preparation for university.
“My experience at the Academy could not have prepared me for life at university any better. While at the Academy, I was immersed in a diverse and multicultural environment which allowed me to adjust relatively easily to university where I was and still am constantly meeting people from different backgrounds.”
Having studied in this environment made her more open-minded and accepting of other people, and that has contributed to her being able to make friends and interact with people more easily. She also reflects on the value the International Baccalaureate (IB) DP added to her education.
“Deciding to do the IB DP is probably one of the smartest decisions I have made. I feel that the work ethic and skills such as time management required to do the programme have prepared me to take on any challenge.”
However, it was not just the academic component of the programme that pushed Fatema to stretch her limits. The DP's CAS component requires students to be actively involved in extra-curricular activities, and the theory of knowledge lessons encourages students to think critically in all disciplines. She commends both these aspects of the programme for instilling values in her that have become intrinsic to the way she lives her life.
“It made me into a more well-rounded and holistic individual,” she says. “It prepares you for life outside of school and makes you think about things that would not cross your mind or that you normally would not consider important. My ability to think and analyse situations critically has improved significantly due to constantly being challenged throughout the programme.”
Fatema has also been able to think about the time she has spent away from home and how her experience at the Academy prepared her for life in a new environment. The abundance of the AKA Mombasa alumni at the University of Reading was a part of that, and she was able to form connections quickly within the community. She also felt that the Academy offered education and opportunities just as good, if not better, than the schools in more developed places such as England, which made it very easy to transition into the unfamiliar environment.
“The Academy and the IB encourages independent thinking and this served me well since it was the first time I was living away from home for a long period and where I would have to make a lot of decisions on my own.”
A lot of Fatema’s involvement in her local community at university is inspired by the ethics she picked up at the Academy. One of the projects of which she is particularly proud is an outreach programme she conducted while interning for the Kenya School Improvement Project (KENSIP) as part of the Aga Khan Foundation internships offered to DP students at the Academy. She visited rural schools and worked with the adolescent girls there towards educating and counselling them on the day-to-day challenges faced. Initially, she focused on identifying the key issues to be tackled and then tried to come up with a way in which sensitive issues such as abuse, early pregnancy and the menstrual cycle could be approached.
“I formed a very close bond with the girls I worked with as well as their teachers. I truly felt like I helped to make a difference and taught them something worthwhile. Although I spent most of my time with the girls, I also included the boys and led forums which discussed issues such as bullying and drug abuse.”
As part of her outreach project, she worked to raise awareness in local rural communities about equal education opportunities for both boys and girls.
Fatema's commitment to providing education opportunities remains strong to this day. In particular, she feels passionate about eradicating gender inequality when it comes to education in rural parts of the world. Her work with KENSIP highlighted the need for equal education for boys and girls as the key to future development.
“It is only through education and knowledge that the current and future generations can flourish. I believe the key to breaking the poverty cycle is improving education opportunities. So, if I had all the resources at my disposal, I would advocate for the importance of the girl child being allowed to attend and stay in school.”
Kelvin Bagthariya: Generating positive change with resilience
Kelvin Bagthariya, a second-year Diploma student at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad, believes that his time at the Academy has taught him one thing in particular: resilience. Kelvin joined the Academy in year 9, and having come from a small town in Gujarat, it was a completely different environment. He believes the Academy has changed his mindset, teaching him to become independent, improving his self-esteem and allowing him to pursue his passion to make a change in his community.
“It was hard for me in the ninth grade as I grew up in a conservative society where people had closed mentalities and viewed life with confined perspectives – it was totally opposite when I came [to the Academy]. I was surrounded by people from diverse communities, with different perceptions and different approaches towards learning. Coming here to the Academy made me adapt to the pluralistic environment, helped me overcome new challenges and integrate [His Highness’s] vision towards my learning.”
For Kelvin, the attitude and assistance of the staff, teachers and his peers at the Academy were the reasons behind his resilience through this tough transition, especially in adjusting to a new way of learning and thinking. They were extremely encouraging towards Kelvin, which empowered him to take responsibility, get involved in enrichment activities and take on leadership roles.
“The journey has [inspired] many transformations in me since I joined. If I recall my first day [at the Academy], everything was new to me. I felt I wouldn’t be comfortable or accepted, and the first few months were lonely. But what the Academy has taught me is that you have to be independent. The Academy offers various opportunities from sports, service projects and various events. …Throughout my journey, being part of the school cricket team, participating and leading various service projects, being head of logistics in Model United Nations, summer internships, school trips and participating in cultural events has shaped me as an individual. It is very different from other schools. The journey wasn’t easy and couldn’t have been possible without my peers, teachers and assistance staff. After four years, if I look at myself, it is a proud moment for me.”
During his four years at the Academy, Kelvin has particularly enjoyed being part of the cricket team, Model United Nations, initiating the organic farming project at the Academy and doing a summer internship with the Aga Khan Foundation. Kelvin explains, “Enrichment activities give you a taste of real life and how it works.”
Through these enrichment activities and involvement in the community at the Academy, Kelvin was encouraged to contribute to the community in his hometown. “I am very passionate about bringing change in the society. When I see a problem, I want to make a change. I have the passion to be a leader and take responsibility. I always want to take initiative.”
Kelvin has taken initiative on an issue close to his heart and one of most pressing public health issues in his hometown: tobacco addiction. Kelvin lost a close friend to tobacco addiction, so he decided to partner with institutions in the Ismaili community such as the Aga Khan Education Board and the Aga Khan Youth and Sports Board to run a campaign to inform people about the consequences of addiction through a short movie that he scripted and acted in. He also created a youth group, worked with families struggling with addiction, visited schools and vulnerable areas, and organized health checkups. The project even received an award from the local government for its effort to mitigate tobacco addiction.
“I felt proud when 15-20 people came to me and said they are no longer addicted,” Kelvin shares.
Kelvin owes his enthusiasm to take initiative to the Academy, where he had always been motivated to do the same through his CAS and enrichment activities.
After graduating from the Academy, Kelvin wishes to pursue a degree in computer science in Canada. He hopes to use his education to work for the good of society, in particular for the Aga Khan Development Network and in the direction of His Highness the Aga Khan’s vision of improving the quality of life of people.
“His Highness says when you leave the Academy, you should be working for change in your own community. I have the responsibility as a global citizen to make a change””
By Inaara Gangji
Raphael Mwachiti: Using technology to advance the community
When Raphael Mwachiti, a Diploma Programme (DP) student, got admitted to the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa on a fully funded scholarship through the Talent Identification Programme (TID) in 2015, he knew it was a life-changing opportunity.
“I was thrilled and filled with joy that I got to see my parents be proud of me for getting the admission but I also understood that it was now up to me to make use of the resources and support from the Academy to make something of myself,” Raphael says.
After five years at the Academy, he says his experience feels like a great adventure, one he had never thought of undertaking.
“I got to see different perspectives and meet people from different backgrounds,” Raphael says. “I’ve also been able to go to new places like Canada and Tanzania and learn many new things.”
Although he hit many bumps along the road, he says they’ve helped him grow as an individual and have given him a glimpse of the world to better prepare him to be an active member of his community.
Raphael has not only had outstanding achievements in the classroom but has applied what he’s learnt to effect change outside the classroom. He has embraced the ethos of the Academy by striving to improve the lives of others.
In 2019 he won the Ryerson Sandbox Basecamp prize for his innovation to aid the visually impaired. He was awarded a grant of $5,000 CAD and specialist professional advice to help advance his start-up. He is now working to produce these devices for further testing with the hope of impacting more than 250,000 visually impaired persons in Kenya.Additionally, Raphael helps farmers in his rural home of Kinango learn new farming techniques like greenhouse irrigation and composting, which are now being utilised to help increase harvest in all seasons thus increasing sustainability within the community. He also teaches computer skills to kids in his old school, which has evoked an interest in technology within them.
"I first met Raphael when we were doing the Talent Identification testing in October 2014,” says Dean of Admissions Paul Davis. “We sat outside one of the classrooms at St. Joseph's Primary School in Kinango. The first thing I remember asking him was whether he was emulating the great Italian artist. He mentioned that the name came from his dad, who was an artist and painted local wildlife and scenes to sell to the tourists in his shop in Ukunda."
"What I admired about Raphael at that time as well as his intellectual capacity was his honesty," said Paul. "He said that the most difficult moment he had to deal with was when he saw a child selling charcoal in Kinango and not going to school; he had reported it and the child was given free education. In a personal story he had written he mentioned a story about rescuing a child from a house on fire - when I asked about this and whether this had really happened, he admitted that it was not true and he had been told to write this by his teacher - he said he knew at the time that he should not be writing this and felt uncomfortable doing so. I had a feeling then that if we chose him he was going to be a self-driven and principled leader. I am pleased to see that these initial feelings were correct and he has turned into a fine ambassador for the Academy".
After being at the Academy for the last five years, Raphael now feels an even stronger responsibility to give back to his community and society at large. “With this understanding, I believe that the next wave of leaders coming from the Academy will be the foundation of positive change in the world,” says Raphael.
Watch Raphael's story, which is featured on the Aga Khan Development Network:
Alisha Sonawalla - pushing the frontiers of technology
Alisha Sonawalla was part of the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad’s first graduating batch, the Class of 2014. Since then, she has accumulated an extraordinary set of experiences during a gap year and subsequently at university in New York City before joining Microsoft in Seattle, USA this summer (2019). These experiences range from heading projects geared at exposing girls in rural India to coding and internet technologies to designing English language development programmes in Tajikistan, and most recently, to spending summers in Silicon Valley working on self-driving cars.
Alisha is currently working as a software engineer at Microsoft after pursuing a dual degree – a Bachelor of Science in computer science and a Bachelor of Science in management science with a concentration in data science (both from New York University (NYU)). She has received the Dean’s Honour Roll for securing a grade point average in the top 10% of the class. Outside the classroom, she has dabbled in multiple projects including building her own robot news-reader and experimenting with developing a secure cloud-sharing service.“The Academy helped me become comfortable with making mistakes and encouraged me to focus on identifying solutions instead,” Alisha said. “That, and my gap year experiences ignited in me a passion for tech and an entrepreneurial spirit, and ever since, I have been excited about building products to push the frontiers of technology forward.”
“It was an exciting time to be in the mecca of tech,” she reminisces. “I led the development of a large-scale mapping service to deliver real-time, preemptive updates to the vehicle, allowing them to make more efficient routing decisions and enhanced ride safety. As one of the early engineers in the self-driving car space, it was amazing to have the opportunity to contribute towards the future of tech.”
“The girls’ newfound confidence became my motivation as I travelled across India and to Tajikistan conducting sessions for women on STEM opportunities,” shares Alisha.
She was also one of 25 female engineers globally who was awarded the "Goldman Sachs Grace Hopper Conference Scholarship" to attend the Grace Hopper Conference, the largest conference for women in tech.
In 2013, while still at the Academy, Alisha travelled across four remote villages of Gujarat to document the livelihood and survival strategies of a lost community, the Devipujaks. Her interviews and field research were compiled into one of the only ethnographic studies done on this marginalised group of people, and she presented her findings at the National Conference on Human Rights organised by the Central University of Gujarat and the Government of India.
In the meantime, Alisha is joining Microsoft as a software engineer on their AI & Mixed Reality team.
“The Academy gave me the space to develop my moral compass by taking on leadership opportunities and experiencing ethical dilemmas first-hand. Being faced with these ethical decisions on a small scale helped me develop a moral compass that guides me through major decisions even today. Moreover, living in a shared space taught me to adapt to different situations, lifestyles and people, which made my transition to NYU, a new city and a different culture seamless.”
Written by Kamini Menon
Spotlights on Alumni
Below are spotlights on some of the Aga Khan Academies alumni:
13 November 2023
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.
05 October 2023
Jemin Patel’s journey to where he is now is the result of hard work and passion, values he picked up during his time at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad. Now, he's working at one of Canada's top accounting and consulting firms, still standing by the notion, "hard work always wins."
26 September 2023
Muskaan Bhaidani is an alumna of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa who was in the Class of 2020. Graduating with an impressive International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) score of 44 out of 45, Muskaan is now attending McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
18 October 2022
Anahita Aman, a graduate of the batch of 2020 was here at the academy for 8 years. Currently pursuing History at University College London, she hopes to build a career in International Development.
23 June 2022
Congratulations to the Class of 2022! We are so proud of you and cannot wait to see what you do next. As we welcome our new graduating class to our alumni community, we asked four distinct graduates from the Aga Khan Academies in Mombasa and Hyderabad about their journeys and aspirations.
09 December 2020
Qamili Dave, a 2017 alumna of AKA Mombasa, discovered her passion for the culinary arts during her AKDN DP1 Internship at Serena Beach Hotel. Since then, she has gone on to pursue her passion for cooking, including undertaking Harvard courses to perfect her skill. What Qamili loves most about being a chef is preparing a good satisfying meal that warms the hearts of people.
04 September 2020
Lilian Odera, a 2015 alumna of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa and recipient of the Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow (ILOT) award, is the embodiment of a true leader and agent of change. True to form, she has a passion for actively being involved in community-based initiatives to influence change and creatively find solutions to issues in whatever way she can.
02 May 2020
Aleesha Suleman, a graduate student at UCL-Qatar, has never lost sight of what has always been important to her: giving back to her home country of Kenya.
01 March 2020
Raghuveer Vyas, director of the United Nations Initiative at New York University, is on a mission to bring change to the world through policy development and fostering a continuous dialogue between international leaders and the youth.
30 October 2019
Hussein Jiva graduated from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa after what he feels was a transformative journey.
02 July 2019
With a determination to change her country into a land of opportunity for all, Anzhela Mirzoeva, a recent graduate from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, will further her education at the Connecticut College in the United States by studying International Relations and Human Development.
28 June 2019
For Alqaim Lalani, his recent graduation from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa brings him one step closer to realising his dream of attaining a deeper understanding of how economics and politics affect the world around is. Alqaim will be enrolling at Columbia University in fall 2019, as a prestigious Kluge scholar.
14 June 2019
''I do not want a career in something predetermined for me from this age. When I am asked where I will be 15 years from now, I can promise you it will not be cooped up in an office doing routine work. I will probably be out there inventing something meaningful and purposeful, something which can be used to change the world.”
25 February 2019
The International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum is essential in enabling the Academies to develop well-rounded leaders of tomorrow. Hear from Zia Chapman, Class of 2018, and understand how this influenced her in choosing the Academy for her education. Zia is now a scholarship student at UBC in Canada.
21 February 2019
Through the inquiry-based International Baccalaureate curriculum, the Aga Khan Academies aim to develop young individuals who will have the capacity to lead and to build strong civil democratic societies in the future. Hear from one of our alumni, Moiz Rajwani, Class of 2018, and see how we have been turning this vision into reality at the Academies. Moiz was awarded a scholarship at Western University in Ontario, Canada and enrolled in September 2018.
18 February 2019
"I always wanted to work with people who spend every single day without any resources at their disposal, to work on the pressing issues that exist in India, issues that most of us never see through our rose tinted glasses."
11 February 2019
“The IB curriculum followed at the Academy has played a pivotal role in building many essential skills for university life. Its skill-based learning approach, and connecting classroom learning to the real world, also prepared me well for higher education."
08 February 2019
“The Academy helped me become comfortable with making mistakes and encouraged me to focus on identifying solutions instead – igniting an entrepreneurial spirit within me. It is this spirit which led me to take a year off, work on self-driving cars, build my own news-reading bot, experiment with developing a cloud-storage service and have the confidence to take the road less taken."
05 November 2018
This 2014 AKA Hyderabad graduate is in some ways a time capsule from the Academy’s early years, and like a time capsule, she reminds us of things that have changed, and also about the things that have remained the same. “The Academy has made me the person I am today,” she says. “I wanted to give back to school what it has given me.”
03 July 2018
Josephine Awino, alumna of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, will be attending Wellesley College for her undergraduate studies in environmental science. She shares a reflection on her personal journey at the Academy in which she developed a sense of self and fostered her passions.
11 June 2018
Muriuku Njonjo graduated from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa with the receipt of a full scholarship to the University of Waterloo in Canada. He shares a personal reflection about his time studying at the Academy: "The Academy changed my way of thinking, my way of doing things and informed my purpose in life."
28 May 2018
Kamila Janmohamed graduated from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa this year. Upon anticipating her upcoming start at Yale University, Kamila reflects on the intellectual growth and strong sense of self she has developed over the past four years at the Academy.
25 May 2018
I love that my classes are filled with students from all parts of the country, irrespective of their financial standing or cultural background. I strongly believe it helps build our vision of pluralism.
15 May 2018
Ariq Kapadia, alumnus of the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad, shares a reflection on his personal journey during his time at the Academies: "The experience that I had in those five years at the Academy continues to develop me further and make me more capable of success."
08 May 2018
Inaara Sarfani shares a reflection on her personal journey at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad. She explains that her time as a student there entirely shaped the person she is today and allowed her to develop a far-reaching skillset.
30 April 2018
Joshua Abuto tells an inspiring and promising tale of what drives him to sustain his vision of making a difference in the lives of his fellow citizens in Kenya. A 2016 graduate of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, Joshua is currently in his second year at the University of Texas at Arlington on a scholarship where he is studying computer science and engineering.
26 March 2018
Khushboo Shah shares a reflection on her personal journey at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad: "I believe that the Academy’s dynamic vision has allowed me to believe in my imagination, passion and curiosity while pursuing ambitious projects."
06 February 2018
Imtiyaz Hariyani credits the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad with giving him more than just the academic skills he needs to succeed at the undergraduate level. “The spirit that the Academy embedded in me has allowed me to emerge as a global scholar with the support of my family and lifelong friends that I made in Hyderabad and elsewhere,” he explains.
20 December 2017
An alumus of AKA Mombasa and University of California Berkeley, Rahim reflects: "The Academy helped me to grow to be the man I am today by instilling values of social conscience and intellectual curiosity that I continue to hold precious today."
21 November 2017
Mary considers her time at the Academy in Mombasa to be a gift. With compassion and leadership, she is determined to help students with similar backgrounds succeed and receive the same opportunities she was granted.
12 November 2017
Danish is global citizen with a creative approach to life. One of his many achievements is the award-winning app, Orai, which aims to make anyone become a better public speaker using artificial intelligence.
17 October 2017
“The Academy helped instil within me a need to contribute to community where possible and a sense of self confidence and teamwork.”
26 September 2017
“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 who has benefitted from the Ontario Tuition Waiver Programme.
12 September 2017
Ruhi Kamal Manek, an alumna of the Aga Khan Academies Mombasa, took away one enduring lesson from the Academy: the importance of engaging in thoughtful and careful consideration of diverse opinions.
30 August 2017
Tanaz Hudda currently acts as the new poster girl for the University of Victoria. She graduated from the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad in 2016 and has just completed her first year of university in Canada.
22 August 2017
Aleem Mawji shares his journey of self-discovery, which began at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa and continued towards creating tangible change.
11 July 2017
Khushboo Khoja has a strong passion for helping others which she developed during her time at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad. “I feel like my experience at the Academy was very significant as it made me realise that I am interested in working with social issues and trying to help communities,” she reflects.
23 June 2017
Aman Punjani graduated from the Academy in 2016 and took a gap year to pursue his career as a competitive cyclist. Today, he is the U-23 Telangana state champion.
10 March 2017
“Being part of an open-minded community that encouraged challenging what we were taught, the willingness to accept one another and inspire each other to grow constantly, was very refreshing. I credit these experiences for much of who I am today.” – Dania Quadri, Class of 2014
27 February 2017
Aga Khan Academy graduate Joshua Tibatemwa swam for Uganda in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. He credits the Academy with growing him not just academically but "as a person.” He plans to return to Uganda, saying, “If I want things back home to change, I have to work to be the change.”
27 June 2016
“I think that at the end of the day what everything comes down to is how we can be citizens of the world and how we can change the world that we live in to make it a better place for ourselves and children that follow us. And part of that also means giving back to your own community,” says Karishma Bhagani.
17 June 2016
"The Academy is an environment that challenges and nurtures leaders who are fearless, courageous and stewards. I have always envisioned growing up to be one myself."
17 May 2016
Kashyap Gohel, who graduated from the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, tells us about his experiences and how the Academies contributed his many accomplishments.
25 January 2016
Ham Serunjogi, an alumnus of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, is a natural leader, bold thinker and team player. A recent graduate of Grinnell College in Iowa, Ham traveled widely before landing a job at Facebook. He has a passion for making connections that give back.
13 March 2015
"There are a lot of values that the Academy instilled in me that I carry to this day. It has taught me the importance of being aware of the community around us as well as giving back to the community whenever possible," says Class of 2012 alumnus Fatema Sheikh.
23 January 2015
“I believe [Aga Khan Academy Mombasa] is where I shaped my values that I still hold to this day. It is also where I saw and felt the importance of building a community, no matter how large or small.” Indeed, the importance of these values to Mirabelle Arodi is obvious in her actions after graduation from the Academy.
Entrepreneurship Club Grand Fiesta – 3:00-6:30pm, Sunday 5 November
Food, games and e-sport at Student Commons – organised by Diploma Programme students as part of their CAS programme.
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