Wednesday, September 5, 2012
From Africa to the United States: Educational Oppertunites for Bright Students
Many of in the United States take for granted the education opportunities we are given. In Africa, children are lucky to receive an elementary school education. The United States Achievers Program (USAP) has recently begun to provide funding to allow disadvantaged students from around the globe in order to seek a university education. It provides over $12 million dollars in funding to 13 different countries, spanning over 4 different continents. Africa is one of the main continents on the receiving end of this funding.
The program helps bright students in disadvantaged countries receive the funding and mental support they need in order to make higher education opportunities possible in the United States. The program sets the students up with all the tutoring they need to take the SATs and then helps to get them into the schools where they would like to go. Many of these students are sent to Ivy League schools such as Yale, Harvard and Princeton. In many cases, students are sent here because the private schools have more funding to help sponsor these student on their journey.
The program is most inspirational because many of the students that are blessed with these educational opportunities are studying for reasons that are unselfish. One student mentioned that he is currently studying biology and chemistry at Duke University with the goal of finding a cure for AIDS to help those in his native country of Zimbabwe. It amazes me that many of the students have goals to study something that they can use to help improve their native country. Their goal is not to be education for their own selfish reasons. They want to improve the lives of others.
If we educate those who seek to help others, we can see great change in the world. By educating those the most in need, we will slowly see change to all of mankind. I think the USAP is a great opportunity to improve the living conditions and standards in Africa as well as other impoverished continents and nations.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2012/0902/Back-to-school-From-rural-Africa-to-the-Ivy-League
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This sounds like a great program! It's nice to see that we aid the students when their countries don't have the money to do so. Do we know if NDNU participates in a similar program? I know we have international students, but it would be interesting to see if they came here via similar funding.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Meghan, this program is a great idea. I have to admit, it took somee time for me to uunderstand how much an higher education means. To have a program to help the underpriviliged in other countries with opportunitites in the United States, or in their own countries, is brilliant.
ReplyDeleteInteresting concept. I'm curious to see how much and what sort of an effect it will have on Africa in the future; this approach differs from the standard "flood with money" tactic that foreign investors have commonly used, which has led to corrupt governments. It will be interesting to see if this ends up having a stronger short-term effect like micro-loans or stronger long-term results in the form of locally owned infrastructure.
ReplyDeleteI think there is an clear indication that the United States having to taken the approach to establish such of a unique program was to counterbalance against the Chinese. As the Chinese, presence in Africa grows strong due to the heavy investment on future literal bridges in the African Region. There is a sense of competition between the two economic powerhouses the (US and China) having similar thoughts about the hearts and minds of young generations in Africa. Truly this is a matter of Foreign Policy competition.
ReplyDelete