Rosa Jorge: Encouraging expression through the arts

Class of 2012 alumnus from AKA Mombasa Ham Serunjogi – CEO and co-founder of African fintech giant Chipper Cash – realised the importance of staying connected to something larger than himself.

Kelvin Bagthariya, DP2 student at Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad, believes the Academy has changed his mindset, teaching him to become independent, improving his self-esteem and allowing him to pursue his passion to make a positive change in his community.

Anjum Budhwani always wanted to teach at AKA Hyderabad, and since she got the job seven years ago, every day of work has been special. “Compassion builds a strong relationship between teacher and student,” she says.

Raphael Mwachiti, a DP student at AKA Mombasa, joined in 2015 on a full scholarship through the Talent Identification Programme. Inspired to give back, he created a device to assist the visually impaired, winning the Ryerson Sandbox Basecamp prize and a CAD $5,000 grant.

Identifying the impact of education policy and the influence of change at a systemic level, Karim Ismail has experience in non-classroom-based roles. He has worked with many schools to build on existing capacities to improve potential and has qualified to train teachers to become IB certified, which is something he still does today.

Alyssa Jamal, a Grade 10 student, created an affordable wrist splint for children with cerebral palsy, made from cheap and locally available materials.