Greensprings Student, Others for 2020 Yale Young African Scholars Programme

Uchechukwu Nnaike

After a competitive application process, a Year 10 student of Greensprings School, Zanita Akinkugbe, has been accepted as one of the scholars of this year’s Yale Young African Scholars (YYAS) programme. The programme is an initiative of Yale University in the USA; applications were received from thousands of students across Africa, and only successful applicants were contacted.

Expressing her happiness and reflecting on the application process, Akinkugbe said: “I am highly delighted to have been chosen as one of the scholars. Back in February when I was applying for the programme, I had to write three strong essays, submit my school transcript, get a letter of recommendation from my teacher, and prove that I am highly involved in extracurricular activities. Combining all these with my school work was a bit challenging, but I am happy that I was able to manage my time very well to come up with an application that was loved by the organisers of the programme.

“Now that I have been accepted, I look forward to improving my leadership skills and meeting fellow scholars from other African countries,” she said.
Also speaking on the acceptance of the student into YYAS, Greensprings Anthony Campus Secondary Principal, Mrs. Magdalene Okrikri said, “this is good news for the Greensprings community. Our mission is to motivate our students to become confident and responsible global citizens. Therefore, seeing our student being accepted into such a programme is quite interesting and fulfilling. It further confirms that we have a functional value system within the community.”

The Yale Young African Scholars (YYAS) Programme is an intensive academic and enrichment programme, designed for African secondary school students. It brings together students that wish to make a meaningful impact as young leaders on the continent. The participating students will be mentored and will receive university admission and financial aid application guidance. The programme was scheduled to take place in Ghana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe, but will now hold online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.