On Tuesday, October 20th, African Leadership Academy welcomed partner schools from the Council of International Schools to our campus for an information session and college fair. The entire student body engaged with 18 participating institutions, a range including a mix of large public universities, small liberal arts colleges, and schools with specializations as diverse as engineering, aeronautical studies, and design from locales as diverse as Japan, Spain, Canada, and the US. Though a few schools were newly welcomed to our campus, many are beloved, long-term partners who have granted admission to multiple graduates since our inaugural class.
After attending an information session in which each of the participating schools introduced themselves and gave a few fast facts to inform and entice students, the Academy’s Year Two students were released to our sunlit quad where they were given ample time to mingle with the representatives dispersed across the campus. The students took full advantage of their hour with many students visiting the vast majority of tables before local high school students joined the list of attendees and our Year One students were released from class to join their peers in exploring postgraduate options.
The experience appears to have been an enjoyable one for all – several of the participating reps were heard remarking that ALA was the highlight of their traveling college fair and that our students asked particularly relevant and perceptive questions, and multiple students reported back that they’d discovered their newfound “dream school” amongst the colleges and universities represented.
Many of our students do not have the opportunity to step on their college’s campus, or perhaps any college campus, for that matter, before they arrive for their Freshman Orientation. It’s therefore crucial that our students seize every opportunity they’re offered to learn about schools beyond the statistics, national and international rankings, the glossy pamphlets and websites. College visits serve as a rare opportunity to make an impersonal process extremely vivid and personal, and we’re extremely grateful to the CIS College Fair and to all of the colleges and universities that visit our campus.
Colleges and universities represented included:
Calvin College – Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
Carleton University – Ottawa, Canada:
Clark University – Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
Concord University – Athens, West Virginia, USA
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Daytona Beach, Florida, USA
Foothill and De Anza Colleges – Los Altos Hills, California, USA
Goucher College – Baltimore, Maryland, USA
IE University – Segovia, Spain
Lehigh University – Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
Michigan State University – East Lansing, Michigan, USA
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University – Beppu, Japan
Ryerson University – Toronto, Canada
St. Edwards University – Austin, Texas, USA
St. Olaf College – Northfield, Minnesota, USA
Savannah College of Art and Design – Savannah, Georgia, USA
State University of New York at Plattsburgh – Plattsburgh, New York, USA
The University of Tampa – Tampa, Florida, USA
Western Michigan University – Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
