Freshman, Class of 2016

Just One Year – January 2012 to September 2012:

I went from being a student to a high school Swahili teacher to a banker and then, just about to go back to teaching and mentoring in another high school, I found myself a student again, back in class; this time not just a normal class but a class where you don’t only become educated but also you become learned.

I am writing this on November 19, 2012, and reflecting on my 2012 year which is just about to end. I vividly recall that day when I did my KCSE exam in Kenya, in a Mixed-Day School and I went home accompanied by ‘Mr. Fear of Future’. Fortunately, on January 9^th, I got a job in Mikeu Secondary School, where I taught Swahili for three months. At least I could now save for my University fee. Don’t call my earnings meager because it was more than enough to support my dream that one day I would join great universities like the University of Nairobi. Thoughts of studying abroad, even in close by Uganda, never crossed my mind or even if I did, the hope was negligible.

18^th March, I Received a Call:

I had accompanied the students for athletics since I liked it and also I was the assistant to the games patron. Would you like to know what the call was about? Well, as I remember, the words the lady on the phone used were:  “we have been looking for you, what are you doing…teaching…well, stop teaching immediately because from now, you are a banker…in short, we chose you because you were the top student in your district….”

I was speechless. I only said, “Oh Thank you God!”  It was not expected; I was working as a teacher in a  day school which is considered by many Kenyans a ‘center of wasting time’. Hah, after a two week induction, and a month’s training, I found myself serving people in Equity Bank, and earning a better salary to fund my University fee.

My work was quite enjoyable and another area of learning and inculcating values of integrity, professionalism, creativity and innovation, teamwork and many other ethical values. I learnt to deal with all people ranging from old, young, prominent, drunk and sober, from all religions helping me to expand my problem solving skills.

However, I did not remain in my comfort zone. I started applying to study in the USA, with the help of the Equity Group Foundation [EGF] which gave me a list of schools offering scholarships in the USA. It was a daunting and rigorous process. One day, I was serving this elderly woman, when I saw on my email, Would you like to study in Ghana…?

I was so curious and I was tempted to continue reading the email-  to the point of losing concentration- no wonder that day, June 11, I had a shortage. What I saw just fascinated me; I saw Ashesi University at a glance. The guidelines were: fill in the application form, fill in the scholarship application form [if you need it], be honest and send to Ashesi for scrutiny. In addition, they included the school website and a brochure in the form of a pdf file. It was a school for future African Leaders and based on foundations of ethical behavior and honesty to make Africa walk with its head held high, claiming ‘WE ARE NO LONGER A THIRD WORLD CONTINENT.’

What do you think I would have done? Like  Simon Peter of the Bible, I had to leave my fishing net and start the race of joining Ashesi as ‘An African Fisherman ’ to bring Africa from the sea-bottom to the surface where the rest of the world could see it. Very fast I filled and submitted the forms to our middleperson at Equity and, after a couple of months of waiting, after I had even thought that it was not considered, I received another call.

19^th August 2012

I was attending an annual leadership seminar organized by Equity Bank and the MasterCard Foundation. I had just received my admission to my dream university, University of Nairobi, to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce. But was Nairobi my dream University now?

I was a chaperone at the congress and I was talking to my high school mentees, when I received a call. The voice said, “I am calling from Ashesi University and I would like to set a time when we can conduct an interview with you.’ I gave a prompt date. “Oh, I am ready for it,” I said, “I have been waiting for it, so I am alright if you conduct it tomorrow at 4.00 pm.”  The rest is history.

28^th August 2012

I had stopped working as a bank teller because I had been selected as a residential mentor to be based in Nyagatugu High School, where I would mentor and teach as well. I was to report on 4^th September, only to be called on 28^th August and the caller said: “Francis today is your luckiest day of all. You have been selected to join Ashesi University on a full MasterCard scholarship and it’s urgent because you are expected to report on 6^th September.” I had gotten my wings. I was prepared to fly to great heights. The rest was ‘RUSH HOUR.’

Ashesi

Regardless of problems encountered acquiring our passports, Ashesi was patient with us and we reported on 10^th September, knowing that we were to be away from our parents, friends and home country for two years when we would be able to go back for summer holidays. But, I had made my choice already and together with six other Kenyans who were also admitted, we found our way to Ashesi. Our families, friends and the country wished us well and all were saying, ‘go look for knowledge and be our ambassadors.’

To me, things happened in quick succession. I no longer had to work and save to pay for my school fees. I only had one thing to do, work with my pen and books. The experience of the time that has passed since I came to Ashesi is quite unexplainable. I came here with the thought that I would only learn Business Administration. I was wrong.

Ashesi knows that future African leaders can’t work with only one course; they need back-up. I now understand that there is a difference between a learned and an educated person. Ashesi wants us to be learned, to have a full understanding of what it means to be a leader for Africa. My passion of being a writer is being strengthened through various courses like Written and Oral communication, Text and Meaning, Giving Voice to Values as well as Statistics and Pre-calculus. I found my perfect environment as a musician, a writer, and a leader in a learning institution where we relate as brothers and sisters regardless of family backgrounds, country, religion, race, gender and any other biases. In Ashesi, it’s a matter of appreciating what the other party likes or does and where you fit.

Do you want to join the ‘Simon Peters of today?’ Leave your fishing net and follow the Ashesi fishermen and women. Apply now and learn the tools to save Africa’s Future. ASHESI UNIVESITY COLLEGE-Invest in African Future.