AraOluwa Adaramola
Nigeria
I almost didn’t get a chance to apply for the
YYAS program. Even after I did, I thought my chances were slim. So after
receiving my-I’ve-been-accepted letter you can only imagine how happy I was. When I eventually joined the Facebook page I was eager to meet the 21st
century teenagers who, like me, would be reading during the summer holidays.
It was wonderful putting faces to the names
that were posting comments on Facebook. From the airport, everyone was
extremely friendly. By the time we were
in the bus en route to the Yiri Lodge, anyone would have thought that we had
known each other beforehand. Being that Nigeria is the only country I’ve been
to in Africa, it was my first time on Ghanaian soil and I was meeting all these
vibrant young Africans, I felt like an explorer.
My favourite parts of the program were the
seminars. Prior to the seminars, all we were given were university –level
readings. Obviously my mind went into overdrive. How would it go? Would I have
to learn every thing? I don’t understand! But I enjoyed every single one of
them. Usually we would start with an introduction. Then the instructor would
throw open the “discussion” floor. It was amazing how we could discuss, throw
questions and add new dimensions to issues for over an hour and wouldn’t feel
the time fly.
I also enjoyed workshop sessions where we
handled the SATs and college applications. Before then both processes seemed
scary. The difference for me was the human factor, being able to talk to the
undergraduates who were in my position a few years ago, to ask questions and to
hear the goofy things they would never ever tell an admissions officer.
Project group was my most challenging
session. Our theme was Politics and Elections and I was a rookie. To top it off
we were asked to produce a 1000-word essay and a presentation on a problem,
related to the theme, in just 3 days. In my group we were able to break down
the essay so we could handle it individually, the easy bit, and then build it
up into the finished piece. It was really interesting how specific the problem
had to be. So we started with - The misallocations of funds by government
officials. Be specific! The misallocation of funds by government officials in
Ghana. Be even more specific! The misallocation of funds allocated to the
educational sector (particularly the primary and secondary schools) by
government officials in Ghana. (I’m not completely sure we had it at that).
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| Emanuel Alex Asiedu speaking on financial systems in Africa |
The beauty of this program was that it was
really eye-opening. I left there with a desire to become super woman, okay
maybe not exactly superwoman. But now I’ve come to understand the importance of
political and financial stability in any economy, and the possible roles I will
one day have to play to achieve just that. I have heard that Africa has many
problems, but have come to realise that there are even more solutions. I have
come to appreciate my strengths and now I am even more determined to work at
them.
