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.
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| 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:
- (Should we have) Democracy in Africa?
- Religion and Politics in the 21st Century
- 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.
