Undergraduate Scholars

Undergraduate Cohort 6 (2018)

  • Angella Asabaawebwa

    Faculty of Arts

    Passionate about education, Angella has always fought hard to challenge stereotypes and uses her exposure to advocate for those who do not have access due to societal expectations. Her resilience, resourcefulness, and compassion led her to build an educational project called Tumeruke which aims to fight for the rights of vulnerable children while providing them with enhanced educational resources such as mentoring. Angella was also privilege to be the first Ugandan student to attend Ashesi Innovation Challenge (AIX) in Ghana which she describes as a turning point in her life. Through hands on projects and experiential learning, she was exposed to the art of design and creative problem solving. This made her think about creating a culture of reconciliation and dialogue with those around her. She reflected on the ways in which to encourage effect and difficult discussions that are rooted in honesty and empathy which transcend social, racial, geographical, and political barriers.

    Angella is keen on fighting for rights of children, especially those with chronic illnesses. She believes that UBC’s enriched curriculum will challenge, stimulate, and prepare her future plans. After completing her degree, she hopes to return home to work with UNESCO and apply the skills she acquired into developing and growing Tumeruke.

    LinkedIn Profile

  • Aline Umurerwa

    Faculty of Applied Science

    Aline is described as being relentless, curious, tenacious, and self-motivated. Aline was ranked as the fifth best performing student in Rwanda and emerged as the fourth best performing student in the Advanced Level National Examination in her combination as well as the first young lady. She was given a scholarship to attend, Gashora Girls Academy, a standout amongst the best schools in Rwanda. At this all-young ladies’ school, Aline was exposed to a world of opportunities that fueled her dreams and ambitions. Being a science enthusiast, she took Physics, Chemistry and Math as her majors. Despite her heavy scholarly course load, Aline was engaged with different co-curricular activities, such as the volleyball team and the Light Up club- a student club which aims to help students apply science concepts to create real life solutions such as helping repair lights for those in the community. She participated in the Yale Young African Scholars Program and the Global Give Back Circle, through these leadership programs, she was able to not only learn about different cultures and diversity in leadership, but she was also able to present solutions to different global issues such as education, sustainability and global warming.

    Aline’s goal is to become an influential engineer for her family, country, as well as the world. She is interested in pursuing mechanical engineering to support innovation and industrialization. Although numerous young women in Aline’s nation are exceptionally threatened by generalizations like ‘young ladies can’t be as great as young men’ or ‘young women can’t do engineering’, Aline is determined to prevail in the field and challenge these assumptions.

    LinkedIn Profile

  • Clinton Mwangombe

    Faculty of Arts

    Clinton is described as being creative, relentless and selfless. He was recognized several times for his academic performance in Business Studies, Geography and Science. Meanwhile, he was involved in extracurricular leadership roles as the Entertainment Captain, Dining Hall Captain, and the Residential Mentor. In addition, he founded two initiatives to help support the youth in his community by raising funds to sponsor their school fees and by visiting them to offer words of encouragement. Through these organizations called Mukaa School Helping Hands Foundation and Nancy Foundation, he’s been able to support 55 and 800 youth respectively.

    Attending Mukaa Boys High School by way of the Wing to Fly scholarship through the Equity Group Foundation, Clinton aspires to be game changer in education and healthcare by making these services available, accessible and affordable. He would like to provide scholarships, establish schools and build hospitals. His vision is to build 35 health facilities across Africa and supporting more than 30,000 students by 2050. He believes there is no better place than the Faculty of Arts to nurture his entrepreneurial spirit and develop equitable and sustainable solutions to materialize his dreams.

    LinkedIn Profile

  • Charles Masenya

    Faculty of Science

    Charles is passionate about learning and finding solutions to help those around him. He is described as someone who is comfortable with the unknown, creative, and who perseveres despite the obstacles he is faced with. Charles wholeheartedly invests himself into giving back and helping his community thrive. In the summer of 2016, Charles began volunteering as a mathematics, science, English tutor and counsellor at a children’s’ home, ‘Emma’s Kids’. There, he encouraged kids to think beyond their situation and to look at education as the key to success. In 2017, Charles advocated for the reconstruction of the sports centre in his township after seeing the high prevalence of teenage pregnancies and abuse of drugs and alcohol in the youth in his community. The Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development approved his request and began the renovations.

    By studying Chemistry and Physics at UBC, Charles hopes to find different sustainable alternatives to fuel to reduce deforestation and Zambia’s dependence on other nations. He is particularly interested in Biofuel and is eager to discover the ways in which it can sustainability be introduced to Zambia’s economy.

    LinkedIn Profile

  • Samuel Oladoyinbo

    Faculty of Applied Science

    Despite being faced with financial hardships, Sam’s determination drove him to excel academically far above his peers. As the “Best Graduating Student”, “Best Graduating Science Student”, and the recipient of the Directors Excellence Award for obtaining all ‘A’s in WASSCE, Sam demonstrated the power of consistency, drive and confidence. He is described by his teachers as being pragmatic, a goal setter and level-headed. He was the president of the JETS club, volunteered with Friends of the Helpless Club, Enrile Youth Association, and was Senior Prefect of Starfield College.

    Sam believes a Chemical Engineering degree from UBC would give him an avenue to achieve his goal of providing a long-lasting solution to the energy and power supply problem in Nigeria. He hopes to learn how to diversify the energy sector and provide more access to cleaner, renewable and sustainable energy in the country. In his free time, Sam enjoys playing football, badminton, and playing the drums.

    LinkedIn Profile

  • Juliet Otieno

    Faculty of Applied Science

    Juliet is described as a jovial, self-motivated and caring individual who is driven by love in everything that she does. She constantly expresses genuine care for the success of others and is always happy to lend a helping hand. Juliet was a volunteer at Kenya Red Cross where she helped teach and administer First Aid. In 2015, Juliet Pioneered a project called Shedd’s Children’s Home when she noticed that some children were suffering from deficiency diseases. She started growing kale in sacks to help increase the vitamins in their diet. Shedd’s Children’s Home was recognized as the ‘Best Community Project’ by the Goethe Institute in the “You for Your Community” competition. She hopes to expand the project to a shelter which would accommodate more homeless children and remove them from the streets where they face dangers of drug- abuse and crime.
    Juliet would like to address the issue of food shortage in Kenya by helping in the design and construction of dams in dry areas to harvest water that would then be used for irrigation. She is strongly confident that her acquired knowledge in Civil Engineering from UBC will help her achieve her goal of eradicating hunger and Kenya’s dependence on food aid.

    LinkedIn Profile Coming Soon

  • Viola Owiti

    Faculty of Applied Science

    Viola is described as an intelligent, well-rounded and grounded individual who challenges herself and actively seeks new opportunities and experiences. At a very young age, Viola witnessed the power of education and as a result, she worked tirelessly to ensure she would attend and excel in school. This determination awarded her a Wing to Fly scholarship to attend Moi Girls High School in Eldoret. Viola has received several awards to acknowledge her hard work and commitment to bettering her community. In recognition of her excellent leadership skills, she received a Leadership Award from Equity Group Foundation under Equity Bank, she received an academic award from the Parents Teachers Association in recognition of her outstanding performance in Chemistry, Agriculture, Geography and Biology, she received a Presidential Award from the County Governor of Uasin Gishu for being able to mobilize her classmates to voluntarily clean the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, and she received an award from the Kenya National Congress for presenting a science project that offered a different method of paper production using sugarcane peels. In her spare time, Viola enjoys mentoring children in her community and spending time running campaigns that to emphasize the importance of education as a tool to eradicate poverty.

    Viola’s vision is to develop a reliable software that would facilitate free, fair and credible elections in her home country, Kenya. She also wishes to build a system that would connect street children and children’s homes to give them a hope and a future. Finally, she would like to establish a non-profit organization that offers internships to computer science students which would allow them to travel around the country and be mentors to high school students. She is confident that her knowledge acquired at UBC will enable her to combat these issues and bring peace in her community.

    LinkedIn Profile

Undergraduate Cohort 5 (2017)

  • Cecilia Leah Wangui Kibe

    Faculty of Arts

    Coming from a difficult financial circumstances and recognizing the obstacles being a woman in a patriarchal society, Cecilia presents herself as a young, independent woman ready to take on challenges. After receiving a scholarship from the Akili Dada Organization to attend one of the top national schools, she demonstrated her academic strength by becoming the first female in the national examinations to receive the District’s Award in 2012.

    At UBC, Cecilia intends on pursuing a degree in Political Science. Passionate about equal rights and opportunities, and equal division of labor, she explains that with her degree she is “urged to make policies that would ensure minorities are not left behind.” Cecilia is looking forward to gaining the knowledge and skill that will help her with the know-how of having a greater impact in her community in Nairobi and her home village in Nyandarua.

    LinkedIn Profile Coming Soon

  • Almahdi (Siraj) Sirat

    Faculty of Applied Science

    Attending Kisima Mixed Secondary School on a full scholarship, Siraj is described as a “highly self-motivated student with high intellect”. Transitioning from a small rural community to an ethnically and culturally diverse, Kisima Mixed Secondary School, he has demonstrated his ability to adapt and respect diverse environments. Growing up in a rural pastoralist community of Somali origin following Islam, a minority religion in Kenya, Siraj is especially aware of the experiences of marginalization and discrimination. To address these issues, he is an active community member, participating in youth groups to support minority communities that are vulnerable to poverty and discrimination.

    Excelling in Mathematics and Sciences during high school, Siraj will be studying Applied Science at UBC. He hopes his degree in this subject will empower him the knowledge to find solutions for the poor governance and leadership in his country. He envisions himself working side by side with decision makers to represent his community and contribute towards a more secure future for marginalized and minority communities.

    LinkedIn Profile Coming Soon

  • Yolanda Masacha

    Faculty of Land and Food Systems

    Yolanda attended the Harare International School as a scholarship student. She has excelled in this program demonstrated by numerous awards including the Presidential Award for Excellence in her senior year, and claimed by her IB Math teacher as one of the top 5% students they have taught. She has contributed significantly in a variety of service projects in her community through different organizations to teaching and assisting children who have been orphaned or of HIV/AIDS.

    Pursing a degree in Applied Biology at UBC, Yolanda is passionate about the development of her country of Zimbabwe and she wishes to “work in health and helping”. While she is interested in studying medicine, Yolanda also has a broad range of interests including her concern for the conservation of the environment. She hopes her degree will help her to give back to her community through “initiating programs for rural development particularly in health care access, nutrition education to eradicate poverty and imparting sustainable use of the environment and agricultural methods.”

    LinkedIn Profile

  • Amos Wambia

    Faculty of Applied Science

    Hailing from the district of Yala, Kenya and growing up in the slums of Kibera, Amos has emerged as a motivator and a talented academic among the busy bustle of Nairobi. When given the chance to speak at a Post-Election Violence Meeting, Amos, who was still in primary school, confidently delivered a speech that had people “spellbound”, including the counselor and President Mwai Kibaki—the President of Kenya at the time. Since this first demonstration of leadership, Amos continued to be a leader and innovator, participating in a wide range of activities from co-founding a health startup, being crowned the CEO of the Junior Achievement Club, soliciting funds from alumni to renovate the dorm recreation room, and advocating for equal gender representation in the country at Constituency Development fund committees.

    Amos demonstrates a deep passion for physics. He has a clear ambition, as he states, “I dream of working Scientific Research Labs and being a part of the generation that will bring technological stability in Africa”. He hopes his education at UBC will expand his opportunities to research in energy, and to deliver a brighter future in Kenya.

    LinkedIn Profile Coming Soon