Six exceptional research projects were presented at the 2019 Graduation Leadership Symposium on June 20th, as part of ALA’s 10th graduation ceremonies. The Leadership Symposium affords members of each graduating class the opportunity to share some of the outcomes from independent research carried out during their time at ALA.
The research presented at this year’s symposium included work done in our Humanities Research class, Scientific Research and Creativity Research as well as research conducted through the Global Online Academy, the Model African Union and the ALA Thesis.
Fikemi Aiyepeku (Nigeria) – Practical Feminism: #WomenEnough
Fikemi presented her research on the importance of female role models and the roles that women can play in supporting each other professionally and intellectually. This research won the Global Online Academy’s Catalyst for Change Prize.
Lobna Jbeniani (Tunisia) – Fostering Climate Resilience to Improve Food Security
Lobna’s research, which was one of the 10 topics debated at the sixth ALA Model African Union conference held in March, focused on new agricultural practices being adopted by African countries to combat the threat of climate change and its debilitating impact on farming output.
Yacine Raphael Sawadogo (Burkina Faso) and Oumar Faye (Senegal) – The CFA Franc: a Pillar of Economic Servitude
Yacine and Oumar jointly presented the outcome of their research in the Humanities Research program on the economic systems of Francophone African countries and the colonial influence of the CFA Franc as the currency of the region.
David Tago (Kenya) – Weaving the Strings
Through an experiential activity which involved attempting to fit as many bouncy balls as possible into a box held up by a single string, David reflected on his attempts to pursue success by focusing on his singular passions for music, and then academics, and then student leadership, before learning to balance his multiple interests as an artist, student and leader on his journey. This was a recreation of his ALA Thesis.
Chisom Ndubisi (Nigeria) – Hyperrealism in the Feminine Mystique.
The Creativity Research program at ALA empowers students with a core passion in the arts to attempt to create original work by weaving multiple influences. Chisom’s presentation focused on the creation of hyper-realistic art forms using feminine facial features. She created a 3D-image replica of various female faces using pencil art.
Dominique Yao (Cote d’Ivoire) – The Char Candle
Through the Scientific Research class, Dominique had attempted to discover the potential efficiencies in creating candles from char (recycled plastic), and comparing the output with regular wax candles. After several experiments conducted in ALA’s science laboratories she concluded that char candles burn quicker and have a worse smell than wax candles, though the burn brighter.
More than 20 members of the Class of 2017 conducted independent research during their time at ALA. To learn more about the academic program at ALA, click here.
