When USAP students arrived on college campuses across America in August, they were pleasantly surprised to find a post office slip alerting them they had a package awaiting them. That package contained a beautiful set of bedding for each of their new dorm rooms. A USAP alumna, who prefers to remain anonymous, came up with … Continue reading Paying It Forward: USAP Students Sleep Well
Blog
USAP Bootcamp: Assaulting One’s Sense of Self
It was on a Monday morning on the 28th of August when I was welcomed by the cheerful faces of my fellow USAP family members whom I had last seen four months ago when we prepared for the SAT. I had mixed emotions. I was very happy to meet again with this second family, but … Continue reading USAP Bootcamp: Assaulting One’s Sense of Self
USAP Bootcamp: Sunset Lessons
“Wow, this is actually very beautiful….” I whispered to myself in disbelief as I sat there staring at the captivating sunset over Lake Chivero. The sun was a soft burnt orange, and looking at it made it hard for me to believe that that was the same sun that had blazed hot at midday, and … Continue reading USAP Bootcamp: Sunset Lessons
ZCC Graduates 25 Interns
In the three years it has existed, the Zimbabwe Career Connect Internship Program has managed over time to become an interactive program that focuses on both talk and action, and this has separated it from most internship programs in the country. Reflecting on the just ended third year cycle, ZCC has grown in size and … Continue reading ZCC Graduates 25 Interns
USAP Forum 2017: Reflection from “The Malawian”
“How do you like Zimbabwe so far?” asked Lincoln Mtemeri, a rising junior at Arizona State University, when I arrived at Education Matters offices in Harare before we headed to Chengeta Lodge where the 2017 USAP Forum was held. In my disoriented state, following a 16-hour bus ride from Blantyre to Harare, I fumbled for … Continue reading USAP Forum 2017: Reflection from “The Malawian”
The Art of Coming Home
When I left for college almost a year ago, it never crossed my mind how I would feel when I returned. All I was doing was looking forward, anticipating my new life at Earlham College. Returning home was something I had never prepared myself for, and it has been an overwhelming experience altogether. To me, … Continue reading The Art of Coming Home
Level Up: Taking College Counselors To The Next Level
July 20 was the last session of the two month Level Up College Counselors’ Course that Education Matters held this term for counselors from local schools to learn about the processes of assisting students to apply to colleges and universities in the United States. Below are the reflections of one of the participants, Ms. Elysium … Continue reading Level Up: Taking College Counselors To The Next Level
USAP Forum 2017: Completing a Cycle
There is something fulfilling about complete cycles. Circles, spheres and ellipses are just satisfying. You could say they are mathematically smooth, or really just aesthetic. Cycles became something like an allegory two weeks ago when I realized that in coming back home to Zimbabwe, going through the ups and downs of trying to settle in, … Continue reading USAP Forum 2017: Completing a Cycle
USAP Forum: Rubbing Shoulders With Legends
It’s not enough to get straight A’s in high school, write SATs and college essays, jet off to America and never look back. At some point in time, that’s all the USAP program looked like to me; a get-away ticket. I’d spent hours pouring over the USAPGLOBAL website as I searched for American colleges to … Continue reading USAP Forum: Rubbing Shoulders With Legends
Zimbabwe Career Connect: Experiencing Life at Mpilo Hospital
Studying abroad as an international student comes with the challenge of always having to answer why you want to return to your country and intern there or work there. It is even harder to justify coming home over university holidays because summer time in Toronto is winter in Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe Career Connect Internship program … Continue reading Zimbabwe Career Connect: Experiencing Life at Mpilo Hospital