YYAS, the experience of a lifetime

YYAS, THE EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME. 

 “Everything happens for a reason”. My name is Bobgala Harrison from Cameroon. I’m 17 and in my final year in high school. You could say I heard about YYAS by “mistake” but nothing happens without a plan by the Almighty. Little did I know that I can apply for an international program and actually get selected. Firstly, what is YYAS? It stands for Yale Young African Scholars and it is a cost free academic enrichment program for African secondary school students. 

Back in 2019 I heard about YYAS from a friend, who heard from a friend, who’s friend had attended the program in 2018 in Zimbabwe. It’s quite a long chain of “hearing from” but that’s how the message about YYAS came to me. Initially, I was skeptical about applying for it because I had never applied for anything of this sort and I didn’t want to “waste” my time. But with some encouragement I finally decided to apply for it and told myself “what better way to gain experience?” After completing my application in February, I kept my fingers crossed waiting for an email from YYAS. Lo and behold, some time in April, I received an email that I’ve been accepted into the program. My excitement was so immense that I will attend such a program, even though I would’ve been more excited if I was to travel. Nevertheless, I didn’t allow the pandemic deprive me of the rich knowledge in YYAS. 

With the days for the program drawing near, I began preparing my materials for the online program; iPad, internet connection, good background, without forgetting my notebook and pen. On the first day we had a talk on career guidance and tips on taking the SAT test. This helped me be more confident in taking the SAT test when applying for universities. Furthermore, with the career orientation, we were guided on how to choose our profession depending on our skills and passion. 

On the second day of the program, we had a seminar on Translational justice in the world. Thereafter we had a chat with an entrepreneur from Ghana. Mr Isaac Sessi, an entrepreneur, shared his story with us and his experience on his journey to entrepreneurship. He helped inspire me to start with what I have and fueled my ambition to be a great entrepreneur in Africa and the world. 

The next day, we were thrilled with an SDG seminar about climate change and its effect on African farms. In addition, we had university talks with students and instructors from Yale University and African Leadership University. 

On the last day but certainly not the least, I was exposed to admission officers from many different schools who helped us know the opportunities universities and colleges offer. Some of these institutions were the New York University in Abu Dhabi, Ashesi university in Ghana, ALU in Rwanda & Mauritius island, University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins University and many more. Thanks to them, I now know what process to follow when applying for financial aid from the university I wish to apply to. 

Perhaps this program is the best thing that happened to me in the year 2020 and while it has inspired me, it is my wish that through this article, someone has been encouraged to apply for the program and to benefit from all the knowledge you can gain from YYAS, totally FREE. As the adage goes “Knowledge is power”. Exploit every opportunity!!!

APPLY NOW!!! (Dateline for application is February 16th at 11:59PM)

By

Bobgala Harrison