Simon Matiri, a Kenyan student who scored an A in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) has landed a full scholarship in an exquisite private university abroad.
Matiri who sat his KCSE exam at Nairobi School scored an A of 84 points becoming one of the top students in the country and the top student at Nairobi school.
Following the achievement, he will be joining NYU Abu Dhabi University in New York City for his degree studies.
The student will study free after receiving full financial aid of about $82,000 per year, equivalent to about Ksh11.8 million.
Matiri revealed he successfully secured an opportunity at the prestigious university through the help of the Equity Leadership Program by Equity Bank Kenya.
”After completing high school, I was accepted into the Equity Leadership Program which provided admissions support and offered information on potential universities. I was accepted into this program due to my high results on the KCSE,’’ he explained.
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It was in this program that he learned about others who had gained admission to prestigious universities, marking the beginning of his journey.
The brilliant boy added that the opportunity to Equity Leadership Program actualized his dream of studying abroad as his previous attempt to secure slots in universities abroad had stagnated due to a lack of information.
”I have always wanted a global education, which prompted me to begin researching the possibility of studying abroad, as until then, I had only heard about it without knowing how to proceed.’’
”During the COVID period, I took the opportunity to explore websites to understand if securing a scholarship was feasible. However, at that time, I couldn’t find information specifically tailored for a high school student from Kenya,’’ he said.
Besides his success in academia, Matiri also highlighted other extra-curricular activities and programs he had joined to hone his leadership skills.
He advised Kenyan students intending to study abroad to seek guidance from students who already made it to the world universities, as well as interact well with teachers as they can provide valuable insights.
”In my high school, I received misleading information because I didn’t fully understand how studying abroad works. What changed the game for me was getting into the Equity Leadership Program. So, talking to students who have managed to go abroad for their studies is crucial,’’ he said.
”Lastly, seeking out college access programs, such as Education USA, is key. Get in touch with people in these programs because they are a goldmine of useful information that can assist in your application process,’’ added Matiri.