A total of 118 scholars from the Equity Leadership Program (ELP) have received admission and full financial aid to 56 global universities across Africa, North America, Asia and Europe.
Comprising of ‘Wings to Fly’ alumni beneficiaries as well as top performers in the 2019 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination in Sub-counties, the global scholars are set to benefit from undergraduate scholarships from their host institutions valued at Sh1,448,425,862.
The beneficiaries will also receive a token of between Sh100,000 to Sh200,000 from Equity Group to facilitate their preparation and travel to their host countries.
In a press statement to newsrooms, the Equity Group Foundation Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. James Mwangi, noted that there has been a significant growth in the number of ELP scholars admitted to various global universities on early admission.
He said this year’s admissions has included at least 754 scholars who have so far gained admission to global universities under the Equity Leaders Program.
“Last year, 93 scholars had been admitted to global universities at a time like this, today, we are at 118 and counting with more scholars set to receive their admission letters within the next few weeks in addition, 54 of these scholars have been admitted on full scholarships,” he said.
“We are grateful to the partnerships and collaborations we have with these global universities that offer our children an opportunity to study, to have exposure to other top scholars from other countries and with different cultures which create global citizens,” Mwangi added.
The CEO further stated that ELP aims to empower young academically gifted scholars by supporting the students to apply for admission and full financial aid from universities around the world, as well as equipping them with leadership skills that will be beneficial in the professional world.
“We are quite confident that these scholars will represent Kenya well and will continue putting us on the map as a country with great minds and capabilities with the ability to contribute to global agenda and purpose-led impact,” said Dr. Mwangi.
Of the 118, Dr. Mwangi, said that 20 scholars have been admitted to Ivy League Universities in the United States, including Yale (4), Harvard (3), University of Pennsylvania (3), Princeton (1), Cornell (3), Dartmouth (2), Columbia (2) and Brown (2).
Locally, ELP scholars have come together in their universities to establish ELP Associations that allow them to regularly interact, brainstorm and find new ways of doing things within their line of careers and for the benefit of society.
Since its establishment in 1998, the program has so far benefitted 17,040 scholars and produced professional leaders who include Equity Bank Uganda Managing Director, Samuel Kirubi and Dr. Allan Makenzie, Associate Director, Global Sustainability and Government Affairs at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals Ltd, among many other ELP scholars.