Jean Lambert Niyomugaba’s YYAS 2017 Experience

I am very grateful for this opportunity to share my Yale Young African Scholars Program (YYAS) experience with all of you who are reading this blog!

YYAS was my first time leaving my family for such an extended period, apart from time I spend in boarding school. I met so many other young people like me from all corners of Africa, and I had a chance to share with them my homeland, Rwanda. YYAS exposed me to many talented African secondary school students, all of whom are future community leaders. We studied together, shared experiences, and exchanged knowledge and ideas. This instilled in me an incredible awareness of self and adoption of new cultures as a common tool for leadership.

Jean Lambert (right) with friends from YYAS 2017 in Rwanda.

I was greatly appreciative of the YYAS staff and Yale student instructors who helped to facilitate the program, and for their brilliant ingenuity, generosity, and kindness.

When I first arrived at the program I was very moved by how the YYAS team welcomed students and made each and every one of us feel at home. When I received the schedule, I was pleasantly surprised to see so many interesting activities and I wondered how we could accomplish them in such a short period of time!

The Discussion Section: I had never experienced this sort of learning environment before in my entire life. Following each lecture, students had a chance to point out different issues and raise their own opinions and ideas. This opened my eyes to see beyond my home country, Rwanda. We took time to better understand the world around us and to think and to see things in ways that could lead to better development, thus finding solutions to great challenges our respective nations face. YYAS encouraged us to go beyond the local, and we were challenged to think global!  

Workshops: At the end of each day participants broke out into their different “family” groups of 6-8 students with a Yale student lead instructor. I had never met people who were so interested in my life! In addition to learning more about university life, how to write a college essay, and other university application strategies, I learned how to create an “elevator pitch”. I am now able to effectively introduce myself to any person I am meeting for the first time!

University Guidance: I loved this part so much! I learned A LOT and it gave me the opportunity to ask my many questions about different universities and the general application process. On the Admissions Day I was so grateful to meet more than five university admission officers from the United States in person! I got to ask them about their schools and learn about their various academic programs and campus life. I am now prepared more than ever to take on the university application process and common application.

Test Prep:  It was such a great experience to sit for the SAT exam! It was my first time to take this test but I learned so much. Even after YYAS I am still practicing my skills and trying to increase my score for the real thing! We were taught reading comprehension skills, essay writing techniques, and mathematics by a very nice tutor named Esther, who shared with us so many tips and strategies for tackling the test.

Seminars: I took three seminars led by the Yale student instructors. Each class was so unique and totally transformed my way of thinking. The seminars I took were:

1. (Should we have) Democracy in Africa?
2. Religion and Politics in the 21^st Century
3. Renewable Energy: Theory vs. Practice

Talent Show: How could I forget about the talent show? This took place on the last night of the program. I greatly enjoyed listening to and seeing my talented peers perform—especially those who shared their cultural dances and songs! No one felt embarrassed or intimidated. It was such a welcoming environment and an effective way of sharing our very rich cultures with one another. As I watched each performance, I thought to myself: we are the leaders of Africa!

It is hard for me to believe that that experience has passed, but I look ahead knowing that I have now built bridges with peers from other African countries. I have no doubt about the deep, enduring friendships made at YYAS, made easier by social media which links us together! These lifelong connections and experiences will be paid forward as we continue to learn, grow, and give back to the world. I highly recommend YYAS to anyone and everyone!

Let me use this opportunity to call upon all of you who want to have your lives transformed and see your dreams become reality: please don’t miss your chance to apply for this program!

Thank you.

Alumna Recounts Her YYAS 2016 Experience

As I stood in the registration line, trying to look for a few familiar faces from my school, I felt nervous, yet excited. It was finally happening! I remember standing in front of a boy called Nenfort, who had trouble registering because he preferred another name on his tag. I found him quite amusing but kept quiet, too shy to introduce myself. Little did I know that he'd become the clown of my workshop group that week at YYAS.

Rumbidzo Dangarembizi (second from right) with her friends at YYAS 2016.

When my friend Fadzi and I welcomed two South African girls, Felicity and Thenjiwe, and helped them with their bags on arrival, we never thought that they would become two of our closest friends at the program. I still treasure their relationships to this today. In the evenings before bed, we'd sit in each other's rooms talking about the day and anything and everything, like we'd known each other our whole lives.

It was amazing seeing people from all over the continent and the beautiful blend of accents filling the air each day, making me feel right at home. There were so many names to learn throughout the week. I felt as though I met someone new every day! I found myself meeting new people even on the very last day.

Breakfast was one of my favorite times of the day. Our table was never shy of jokes and laughs, which always came from the Zimbabweans and the Nigerians. The Nigerians amused us with their love for jollof rice and their confusion over why we didn't have plantain in Zimbabwe. By the end of the week, we all felt like a family.

The talent show was an exciting showcase, too, especially when everyone gathered on the stage to dance. In that moment, watching everyone perform, we were all the same. We all spoke the same language as we danced to Davido's music. When people performed it was interesting to see the uniqueness and individuality they all possessed, whether they performed spoken word, sang, danced, or did stand-up comedy.

I believe that the program really opened the door for students to pursue tertiary education, especially at American universities. The Yale students who served as instructors during the program were all African, just like me. They all came across as kind, loving, and helpful. The advice they gave us in our workshop group, admissions sessions, and seminars was truly valuable. The goals that they had reached by being accepted into such a prestigious university didn't seem so distant anymore. All the information that they fed us throughout the week cleared my confusion and gave me a definite path.

I'd encourage any of you who are unsure of what you would like to do in the future, or who want to go for university, to apply to the program,. The lessons you'll learn at the program are invaluable and life-changing. Please don't pass up the opportunity. It is definitely worth going for the experience of a lifetime!