AKA Hyderabad Awards & Accolades - September 2018
Join us in celebrating milestones reached in the first term of the 2018-19 academic year.
AKA Hyderabad Newsletter - November 2018
Read the November 2018 edition of the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad newsletter.
AKA Hyderabad Newsletter - November 2018
Updates from September to November 2018 from both the Academy Junior and Senior Schools.
H.E. Mrs Kenyatta Addresses the Class of 2016
Learn instrumentals and write your own songs - Eric Wainaina tells upcoming artistes.
KP Media Network speaks to Eric Wainaina, keynote speaker at the Class of 2019 graduation ceremony.
Class of 2023 Graduation Ceremony
The Aga Khan Academy Maputo's Class of 2023 Graduation Ceremony will be held on 20 May. For more details, please contact the Academy.
Alqaim Lalani (Class of 2019): The importance of mentoring and positively contributing to the community
Although it has been a few years since he graduated from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, Alqaim Lalani, Class of 2019, says his years at the Academy had a major bearing on his academic career and strongly influenced his outlook on life. Now, as a graduate of Columbia University in New York, Alqaim is giving back to the Aga Khan Academies community that he says shaped his life and gave him so much.
Originally from Tanzania, Alqaim was actively involved in the Academy’s community. As a dorm captain in the residential programme, he learnt time-management skills, maturity and developed strong work ethics. He also gained a passion for positively contributing to his communities, which could be seen in the social enterprise he founded as a student called “Tumaini la Maisha Cancer Initiative”, which supports economically disadvantaged children suffering from cancer to raise money from crafts they make to subsidise their own care. His efforts gained widespread recognition in Tanzania, where he was named one of the ‘Most Influential Young Tanzanians’ for his achievements in social enterprise and philanthropy.
However, upon entering university, Alqaim discovered a new passion: mentoring students during their university application process. Since he began his undergraduate studies in 2019, Alqaim mentored International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme 1 and 2 Academies students, who he believes “are at a very critical stage in their lives,” because they are at the juncture of shifting from school to university.
“Transitioning from high school to university can be daunting, given the pressures to choose what you want to study, partake in activities and internships and ultimately determine how you want to start your career – all in the span of a few very consequential years,” Alqaim said.
Alqaim’s interest in wanting to mentor stems from his own experience at Columbia, where he was introduced to an alumni network and inclusive student community. He soon learnt that Columbia and some other universities actively supported first-year students in selecting courses, applying for campus societies and recruiting for selective careers.
“Even before stepping foot on campus, I was being supported by a community committed to my success, enabling me to transition quite seamlessly once I arrived on campus,” he says.
Alqaim knew he wanted to pay it forward and ensure other students felt this level of support. To date, Alqaim has mentored 11 Academies students from Mombasa and Hyderabad across varying aspects of the university application process. From building a shortlist of institutions that meet their academic and financial needs to approaching standardised tests with confidence and ultimately bringing their authentic self forward when voicing their achievements and background.
One of the students who benefitted from Alqaim’s mentorship is Ayaan Dewani, Class of 2023 from the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad, who is studying at Boston University with a full-ride scholarship.
"I am incredibly grateful for the invaluable assistance I received from Alqaim during my university application process,” Ayaan said. “His guidance and support were instrumental in helping me navigate the complex and often overwhelming journey toward higher education. He took the time to understand my interests, strengths and aspirations and then provided tailored advice on which universities would be the best fit for me. His insights were spot-on, and he helped me create a well-rounded list of target schools that aligned with my academic and personal goals.”
Considering it a privilege to work with students, Alqaim believes he, too, is benefitting from his mentoring.
“Serving as a mentor has helped improve my leadership skills, exposed me to new perspectives and consolidated lessons I previously learnt,” Alqaim said. “I believe the true value of mentorship lies in eliciting self-reflection and critical thinking from the mentee, rather than simply rearticulating one’s own experience.”
Although he is currently working in financial services, Alqaim continues to support Academies students through this journey by working with them to find internships and jobs that appeal to their talents, and helping them foster the transition from student to working professional by connecting them to other alumni a part of the Aga Khan Academies Alumni Association.
“My experience at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa has been pivotal in my life,” Alqaim says.
Joshua Abuto (Class of 2016): Wanting to make a difference
Joshua Abuto tells an inspiring and promising tale of what drives him to sustain his vision of making a difference in the lives of his fellow citizens in Kenya. “My dad once told me, “he muses, “you will never be judged by your potential but rather by your actions.” Those words that Joshua’s father uttered to him permanently entrenched themselves in his mind.
And what exactly does Joshua want to accomplish to improve the lives of citizens of his home country after he completes his college studies in the United States?
“After my education, I will return home to foster change and development in Kenya to the best of my ability,” he states emphatically. His focus will be on urban planning of cities, as well as “developing a skills approach to learning when it comes to running local systems.” He believes technology is a vital and integral part of systems organisations and must be used to improve the functioning of government and private organisations to eradicate fraud and mismanagement.
“One day, my fellow citizens will realise that having organised systems can help eliminate the never-ending corruption in our nation and allow it to develop to its true potential,” he states unsparingly.
A 2016 graduate of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, Joshua is currently in his second year at the University of Texas at Arlington on a scholarship where he is studying computer science and engineering. He says his interest in his chosen area of study “was induced by my love for problem solving… problem solving in real life situations through technological solutions.”
He credits the Academy for his being able to obtain the generous scholarship under the transfer honors scholarship that has allowed him to get an excellent education at a first-rate university.
“Because of my GPA, and the newly formulated agreement between Aga Khan Academies and the University of Texas at Arlington, I was able to procure my scholarship worth $46,500,” he says, expressing gratitude.
Joshua believes that his route to success thus far has also been due to the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme at the school.
“I feel like the IB gave me a step ahead into university because I was able to get my Academy college credits transferred. However, what really keeps IB a step ahead of all other curriculums is the rigor of the Diploma Programme as a whole and most especially the transdisciplinary skills we obtain such as self-management, organisational skills, and time management. We are also forced to make decisions that are an epitome of any university’s expectation.”
In addition to academics, co-curricular activities are an integral of the Academy. Joshua played basketball and soccer. He also represented the school in the 33rd annual East African Model United Nations (MUN) conference in Nairobi, which, he asserts, prepared him to participate in his freshman year as a vice-chair and chair leading a special committee in the Wisconsin High School MUN Conference, and in his sophomore year where he participated in both the Chicago MUN conference and Texas MUN conferences. He received the Distinguished Delegation award for his participation.
While at the Academy, Joshua was also instrumental in starting the MAD Odeum, a bi-weekly platform showcasing musical talent in senior school students. He carried his interest in music in his freshman year by joining the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Jazz Ensemble. He learned jazz and improved his skills in playing the trumpet. He hopes to perfect his skills in playing the trumpet and aims to pass his skills to his peers.
Joshua holds dear the many lessons learned at the Academy. He says he particularly benefited from his involvement in the Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) programme at the Academy – he feels CAS reshaped his personality and awakened in him the urge to rewrite his old script and change his old ways of thinking. The Academy’s CAS requisite instills in students the importance of leading balanced and well-rounded lives outside the world of scholarships and academic studies. The CAS includes a wide range of arts activities, sports, expeditions in local and international projects and participation in community and social service activities that the students can choose from.
A firm believer in the power of technology to move communities forward, Joshua went to great lengths while at the Academy to launch a community and service project where he taught local high school graduates computer skills.
Asked about the most important tenets he learnt from his time at the Academy, Joshua is quick to reply. “I feel like one of the biggest values the Academy instilled in me was the art of giving back to the community. This includes respecting concepts such as international mindedness, ethics, pluralism, and civic responsibility. Those creeds will essentially be my mindset along the road of life and when I go back to work on fostering development in Kenya.”
Reminding himself of his father’s mantra, he says, “I believe that we should spend less time talking and just do it. That is the only way to be phenomenal.”
The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa celebrates 72 exceptional students in the Class of 2021
The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa celebrates 72 exceptional students in the Class of 2021
