Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program graduates 8th cohort
Housed and managed by Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program is a comprehensive scholarship program that educates and prepares young people, from Africa, to lead change and make a positive impact in their communities. In the first phase of the program, which began in 2012, Arizona State University supported 120 scholars to complete their undergraduate degrees in more than 50 majors, including Biosciences, Engineering, Business, Economics, and Public Health and Nutrition.
Phase II of the program, Strengthening Institutional Linkages, began in 2016 and supported 156 students to attend ASU and pursue accelerated master’s degrees. This year marks the end of the grant and the last cohort to graduate from the program.
Students were selected for the program during their third-year of undergraduate studies from two partner universities in Ghana — Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and Ashesi University — and completed their final year, plus a one-year master’s degree at ASU. This year’s cohort of 58 scholars graduated in May.
Abubakar Idris, assistant director of the program says, “This group has redefined perseverance and success to set new milestones in the life cycle of this partnership during a global pandemic. While they are the last cohort for this phase, they were the first to participate in remote learning for an entire academic year due to COVID. And despite various unavoidable situational challenges, such as time zone differences, unstable internet connections and isolation due to the pandemic, the group thrived. We celebrate their important milestone and wish them the best in their transition to becoming Mastercard Foundation and ASU alumni. As this partnership concludes, ASU continues to work with the Mastercard Foundation and other partners to expand access to higher education for African youth.”
Meet some of the graduates:
Narh graduated with a BS in Business Administration and MA in Global Management. When he returns to his country, Narh hopes to be actively involved in entrepreneurship and higher education. As a writer focusing on the dynamics of existence, Narh aims to change the world through his words.
Tim earned her master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and hopes to integrate the knowledge from her studies with her interest in policy and education to contribute to the adjustment of developmental policies and the growth of manufacturing industries in Africa. Along with four of her peers, Tim tackled Xenophobia and Hate Crimes within the Commonwealth Nations. She also worked with Agility, a global logistics company where she led projects on petroleum and mining local content in Ghana. Through this work, she broadened her communication skills, networking, report writing and research skills.
Kudiabor earned his master’s degree in Global Logistics and is passionate about leveraging the prospects of entrepreneurship in transforming the agricultural and health sectors in Ghana. During his time in the program, he worked with a team of his peers in developing a portable precision agricultural technology for rapid soil testing. Kudiabor’s goal is to become a world-acclaimed expert in Global Logistics and Supply Chain Sustainability.
Jalloh earned her master’s in Biomedical Engineering. She started a network for girls in her community that is geared towards empowering all women through art, storytelling and peer networking to help facilitate community and greater learning opportunities. She volunteers every summer for a community youth-based organization and works as an intern with the largest public hospital in Sierra Leone. Her goals are to continue to motivate and empower girls in rural communities, support the healthcare system of her country through meaningful practice and serve as a lecturer at a university in Sierra Leone.
To date, 276 scholars have been supported to access higher education. The success of this program was possible with the support of various ASU departments, including the Graduate College, International Students and Scholars Center and ASU Housing.