USA SCHOLARSHIPS PROGRAM FOR KENYANS 2017

The EducationUSA office at the Public Affairs Section of the United States Embassy – Nairobi, seeks to identify and recruit 40 Kenyan students from low-income families who scored B+  and above in the 2016 KCSE,  to join the EducationUSA Scholars Program (ESP).

Our mission is to assist our Scholars in negotiating the admissions process in U.S. colleges and universities to better their academic futures, with the goal of producing highly-skilled and widely-educated leaders to build tomorrow’s Kenya.

ESP works with students through regularly scheduled training sessions to assist them throughout the application process to secure admission and financial aid from universities in the United States. We provide free membership to the EducationUSA Advising Center in Nairobi and Nakuru for the participants. We expect a sincere commitment from the students to give back their energy and time to the program and to their communities.

We do not limit the program geographically; however, students must be able to reach our offices in Nakuru or Nairobi on as required for full participation. Students will work with the EducationUSA Adviser and interns in 2017/2018 to try and secure admission and financial aid. Admitted students will begin their studies in the US in August 2018.

Qualifications: A VERY strong academic record, be actively involved in co-curricular and leadership activities, have a strong record of giving back to your community and demonstrate financial need.

Please complete this application form and submit it together with the required documents listed at the end of the application form by Email or in person, to reach our offices on Monday, January 30, 2017.

Due of the high volume of applications expected, we will ONLY respond to those who are successfully selected to participate in the program.

ENTRANCE INTO THIS PROGRAM DOES NOT GUARANTEE ADMISSION OR FINANCIAL AID TO STUDY IN THE U.S.  2015 KCSE CANDIDATES ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO APPLY.

2017 EducationUSA Scholars Program application deadline: Monday, January 30, 2017

Read the instructions carefully. It is essential that you attach the documents listed below to your application. Please do not send original certificates or reports. You can use additional paper where you do not have sufficient space to answer the questions on this form.

1)  Complete this application form fully, providing us with as much information as you can about yourself. We do not consider incomplete applications.

2)  A photocopy of your KCSE results slip stamped by your secondary school.

3) The attached letter of recommendation form attesting to your character, talent and skills completed by a teacher, school administrator, priest/pastor or NGO or community leader who knows you well, either typed or handwritten. N/B: Do not include a basic testimonial that does not talk about you as an individual.

4) A copy of all school report forms from 2013 (Form 1) to 2016 (Form 4) Mock report forms.

5) Write any two essays from the topics below, each of about 250 – 500 words:

Universities in the U.S want to get to know you as a person, both in and out of the classroom. Use these essays as an opportunity to let us get to know you, how you think and what’s important to you. If you study in the US, you will be exposed to and you will take a wide variety of subjects from the humanities, social sciences, and pure sciences. With this liberal arts educational philosophy in mind, please demonstrate your intellectual strengths. We want to get to know you as an individual. Do not look for the most dramatic tale. All experiences told through these essays must be a true and accurate depiction of your life. Write them yourself without the aid of teachers or peers.

1. If dreams can come true, so can nightmares. Steve Jobs’ dream of introducing modern software technology that would forever change the world came when he launched Apple Inc. His nightmare came when he was fired from his own company and had to spend 12 years in the wilderness. However, he refused to give up and ended up leading a very successful corporation which included Pixar Animation Studios, one of the best animation companies up to date. What motivates you to keep on going even in situations when the future appears bleak and in what ways are you going to change the world?
2. Describe a moment when your perspective changed.
3. Is it out of your reach? Or have you just not stretched yourself far enough to attain it? What is IT?
4. Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? What was the result? Would you make the same decision again?
5. If someone invented a time-travel machine that allowed you to go back in time in your own life, and change something that either you or someone else did that has had a direct impact on your life, what would you change, and why? Reflect briefly in your conclusion on whether you think such a machine would be an asset or a detriment to society.
6. If you could be granted one super power, what would it be and how would you use it?

Click here to download application form