Yale Young African Scholars (YYAS) is excited to announce that the 2021 application is now available online!
YYAS is a high-intensity academic enrichment and leadership program that brings together outstanding secondary school students from across Africa. Students are exposed to the rigorous university admission and financial aid processes, attend college-style seminars led by Yale University students, and build a network of peers from across the continent. Novel this year, students will also participate in career guidance workshops in their field of interest: communications, technology, entrepreneurship, or public health.
Now in its eighth year of programming, YYAS has served more than 1,600 students and has brought together young leaders from more than 40 countries across Africa. To keep everyone safe during the global pandemic, the YYAS 2021 program will be held online from 25 July to 31 July. Admitted participants will access pre-recorded videos before the start of the program and attend live sessions with specially curated leadership and development content during the week-long event.
YYAS successfully piloted its first-ever online program last year during the 2020 sessions and had attendance from 387 students from 39 countries across Africa. Students heard from Ghanaian entrepreneur Isaac Sesi on his personal and professional journey in technology and agriculture, attended Yale student-led seminars on topics like Afro-Innovation and Water for Wellness, and met with 16 universities and gap year programs across the world to learn about university admissions and financial aid.
YYAS is an enriching program that proved to be eye-opening as well as life-changing experience for me. The YYAS program not only creates awareness about current and future challenges of the African continent, but it also ensures that young Africans are equipped with the skills and determination to change Africa for the better. My favourite part was interacting with the other participants and sharing our points of view respective to our communities which are scattered all over the continent. I realised the importance of not just talking about our problems but raising our voices to lead the way. YYAS empowered me with the firm will to make an impact in my society, the continent and even the world.
– Cedric Genevieve, YYAS 2020 Online alum
Eligibility Requirements
Prospective applicants must be current secondary school students in Africa who have one term to one full academic year left to complete after August 2021. Students should be between 14 and 18 years old. In addition, applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of an African country.
YYAS is a proud member of the HALI Access Network and gives admissions preference to high-achieving, low-income (i.e. “HALI”) students who do not have university guidance in their schools or communities. To increase accessibility, there is no tuition cost for any student.
To apply, students must submit an online application that includes one essay and two short-answer prompts. Students must also upload an official school transcript or grade report as well as provide the contact information for one teacher who knows them well enough to fill out an online recommendation form.
Apply Now: https://africanscholars.yale.edu/admissions/how-apply
Application Deadline: 16 February 2021 at 11:59pm EST.
For more information, please email [email protected] or visit our website. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date on all program news and announcements.
The more you understand yourself, the more silence there is, the healthier you are. —Maxime Lagacé
