The Long Way There……

November 14-18 was international Education Week and Amaechi Abuah member of the U.S. Embassy Education USA Center wrote this article in celebration of the week.

I remember dozing lightly as the bus rolled across lush green hills and past glassy clear lakes. It was Day 4 of the International Physics Olympiads and all around me some of the brightest brains from across the planet were settling into various states of boredom-induced slumber. On a screen in front of the bus, some television scientist had been discovering the Higg’s Boson… again… and again … and again… for the past three hours. We were headed from the city of Zurich to the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva to witness the magnificence of the Large Hadron Collider first-hand. It was a five hour drive, and we still had a long way to go.

A University Without Borders

By Edem Dorothy Ossai

Applications for the Mandela Washington Fellowship of the U.S. government has closed.  As we anticipate results enjoy stories from this year’s cohorts on their experience.

The first thing that struck me about Arizona State University was that there were no boundary walls separating the campus from the rest of the community. Right behind the law building stood the very cosmopolitan Sheraton Hotel, next to the impressive Walter Cronkite school of Journalism stood the grand Arizona Science Centre. Also a few blocks from the University student centre stood the tall glass offices of Goldman Sachs and McKinsey. I had never encountered a University without walls or borders and so I had been in the ASU Downtown Campus in Phoenix, Arizona, for well over 10 minutes without realising. It wasn’t until we got to the front of an attractive student dormitory building called Taylor Place, which would be my home for the next 6 weeks that I suddenly understood. At that point I looked at the cab driver and escort with surprise and asked “when did we go through the university gates?”

Going to America

A few years ago Moses Onyeabor’s goal in life was to finish secondary school.  He thought the best that he could ever be was to become a petty trader like his elder brother, but he did not stop dreaming of a university education and a better future.  Thanks to the U.S. Embassy’s Education USA Advising Center’s United States Achievers Program (USAP), Moses is now the proud recipient of a $41,000 scholarship from the Arizona State University, to study Biochemistry.  His scholarship includes the award of a laptop computer, living stipends and air tickets.  Through USAP, the U.S. Embassy’s Education USA Advising Center identifies highly talented, economically disadvantaged straight ‘A’ students and mentors them through the application process to U.S. colleges and universities that offer them admission with full scholarship.

“Spark a reaction” Summer Reading program begins

The U.S. Embassy annual summer reading program for children kicked off with a large turnout of excited and enthusiastic children and parents.  The program is open to children age six to twelve.   The fifth in the series, participation has grown every year!

The theme for this year’s program is “Spark a reaction,” intended to not only stimulate a love for books and encourage a reading culture among children, but also to  inspire them to make a difference in their community. During the three week program, children have the opportunity to read books covering a wide range of topics - from history to science to geography.  They will also engage in other activities to motivate learning, such as storytelling, spelling bee, poetry, book discussion, arts and crafts and, for the first time, implement a community service project.

Dig into Reading with Storytelling

Children participating at the fourth Summer Reading Program organized by the Abuja American Corner and the U.S. Embassy got a special treat.  This was when Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA)/Funtime Prize winner for Children’s Literature, Spencer Okoroafor, engaged them in a storytelling session. The summer reading program is an annual program aimed at encouraging reading culture amongst Nigerian children. Several different activities including: a spelling bee, poetry and arts and craft, have been infused into this year's reading program themed "Dig into Reading".

International Education

To recognize the benefits of international education, U.S. Embassies around the world plan and hold programs every November to celebrate the International Education Week.

This year, the Embassy in Abuja participated in the first-ever virtual college fair which turned out to be the largest ever online international college fair.  This is in addition to outreach programs to some institutions within the city.

Catching the Reading Express

The American author Theodor Seuss Geisel, a.k.a Dr. Seuss, a renowned writer of children books once said “the more that you read, the more things you will know…”  As cliché as that may sound, I’m sure we can all agree there is an element of truth to it. Reading opens up the mind and broadens our imagination. It therefore was not a surprise when over 200 children were signed up to participate in the American Corner Abuja Summer Reading Program for children aged 5-13.

The Library table was filled with books of all kinds, spanning a broad range of topics:  the Underground Railroad, the United States Constitution, history of the White House, American singers, American sports legends, animal and plant life, mostly written in a language that children can understand.

Of Education fairs

One annual event of the Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy I find quite interesting is the College and Career fair.  Organized by the Education Advising Center of PAS, they are usually held simultaneously in Abuja and Lagos and attract many young people, their parents and guardians.  One noticeable thing about the program is it reveals the high premium Nigerians attach to good quality education.  For most parents, it doesn’t matter how far or what the sacrifices may be.  Meanwhile, American colleges remain the preferred destination for international students and it’s not surprising.  Among the most reliable university and college ranking organizations, American universities consistently top the best 100 list and dominate the top ten.