The first week of September 2018 saw the Ashesi community welcome the Class of 2022 – its largest class yet. Amidst warm hugs and goodbyes from family and friends, and hearty welcomes and fanfare from Ashesi volunteers, the class moved into campus.
With their enrolment our student body has grown to a little over 1000; a long way from the 30 pioneer students who joined Ashesi some 16 years ago.
The class was selected from across 14 countries, including Burundi, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Tanzania; some 42% of the class also received scholarships.
For Claris Nadini’22, applying to Ashesi to study Mechanical Engineering was with a specific goal in mind; “to contribute to changing the gender statistics in fields where women are gravely under represented. Where I’m from in Nairobi, some of the kids don’t even know why they should go to school and I really want to help break that mentality and give others hope.”
“The Class of 2022 is a combination of impressive academics, strong extra-curricular activities, and leadership potential,” shared Araba Botchway, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid. “Some applicants may have had to overcome barriers in one form or another, but still continued to show keen academic preparedness and promise. We took note of all this, in selecting students for the Class.”
In a packed yet exciting week of orientation activities, many members of the class are already working their way into life on campus, making new friends and sharing experiences. “This is an exciting step in my life,” said Philip Akwei Sekyere ’22. “I can’t wait to identify new spaces for growth, here at Ashesi.”
The week rounded up in a colourful Matriculation ceremony featuring welcome messages from Ashesi’s President, the Provost, the Dean of Student Affairs and the Student Council, the Class of 2022 was officially inducted into Ashesi University.
“As a father, I’m happy there is a college like this in Africa, where my daughter will learn practical applications of theory and know how to stand on her feet,” said Jemiyotan Peter Oyan, proud father of Ofeoritselaju Oyan ’22.
