The academy was an avenue for me to grow as an all-round person. I went through so many phases in my four year journey at the academy and all of it allowed me to explore different versions of myself. All of the exposure I’ve received along with all the friends I’ve made along the way has made this experience truly worth it!

Five years of AKAM life has blessed me with an abundance of opportunities and has helped me grow as an individual. It has made me more independent, more organized, a better communicator and enhanced my collaborative skills; readying me for the future.

Representing the school in sporting events such as football, cricket, badminton and table tennis have me an identity outside of the classroom. Qualifying for nationals in table tennis was my biggest achievement. After being the number one in the county and the region, I was able to qualify for the Nationals that took place during the summer of 2019 in Kisumu, Kenya.

I would like to thank all the teachers, staff members, my friends and my peers that helped me in one way or another; my five years at AKAM have been ones to remember.

Before joining the Academy, I had never been away from my parents for longer than a few weeks. The school gave me the chance to develop my individuality. No experience can compare to being a residential student and I am happy that I was able to hustle and thrive in the environment. I joined extracurricular activities that I was so passionate about, I worked hard to make myself proud in terms of my academics and I met amazing people that I will never forget. Joining the academy was one of the best decisions that I ever made.

AKAM has truly changed me. The support I have received from the academy has made me realize my strength and potential. Before joining the academy I was a student that could only work theoretically. At AKAM, I was able to foster the ability to transform what I learn from books into something that can make a real-life impact. AKAM has challenged me; it has made me expand my horizons and has prepared me for the world out there. The community here never lets anyone fall back—and I am most proud of being part of this community.

Our school is extremely fortunate to have been blessed with teachers who care about each students success. The different diversities and backgrounds the AKAM community brings in has allowed me to interact with people from all over the world and create meaningful relationships. Being at the academy has allowed me to develop my independence preparing me for what the world has to offer. Universities accept only the most competitive students to their campus. Being part of the academies IB curriculum already allows you to compete at that level with other students around the world to enable you to secure a spot at the most prestigious universities in the world. It has been a privilege being at the academy.

My name is Anais Batebe Shalita and I joined the academy in 2014. As a member of the AKA M Voices for Change choir for 6 years, I served as Choral leader in Diploma two, where I planned and participated in various service events such as food drives. My experience as the director of our cohort play, “Memphis”, granted me the platform to explore my interests in theatrical performance and Directing. I was fortunate to receive a scholarship to study Law at the Immerse Summer Program at Cambridge University where I not only broadened my understanding of the discipline, but also interact with a body of intellectually charged students from all over the world. As I depart from the academy, and reflect upon the experiences I was fortunate to be a part of, I am eternally grateful to have been seen, heard and granted a platform to explore my deepest interests.

It has been a memorable eight years I have had at the Academy. The rigorous academic program helped me forge unbreakable friendships. I also tried my best to take advantage of the leadership opportunities that were available at AKAM. These leadership positions equipped me with problem-solving skills and aided me in expanding my social network. The Academy taught me to grow out of my comfort zone and i took up positions that would have terrified me six years ago. I never thought I would be the Tuck Shop Human Resource Manager but I had the privilege to be part of such a great team and together we introduced more tuck shop related events for the students to enjoy. Overall, I know I am very fortunate to have gotten my education and leadership experiences from AKAM and hope that someday I can help give someone else a well-rounded quality education.

My name is Anoush Alibhai. I am 17 years old, born and raised in Kenya. Being part of the Aga Khan Academy community for 12 years has taught me a lot about hard work and perseverance. The diverse community has helped me make unbreakable friendships, exposed me to new perspectives and even challenged my own opinions. The academy has given me the opportunity to be a leader in my community through being the Red house captain, through my CAS project called ‘Sparkling Youth’ which aims at teaching the youth leadership and life skills and by being a member of the STEP-UP community which works with uniquely abled youth. I have also had the opportunity to share my ideas through a TED Talk and later be part of the executive team, as well as enhance my creativity through being the head of choreography and dance in the DP1 play.

We are the leaders of today, not tomorrow. What hasn’t started today won’t end tomorrow. So act now, not tomorrow. When I was younger I would dream about changing the world when I’m older, but after joining the academy I realised that was wrong. AKAM was filled with things to learn from beyond the academics. There were so many inspiring individuals at AKAM. One of my friends had an organization that made learning more interactive to build children’s creativity and confidence while another was creating awareness about menstruation and also providing reusable sanitary pads for women. One day, a deep conversation with one of them led to the question, "why should we wait for tomorrow?” What people don’t understand is that we can start today. Such inspiration from the academy gave me a new lens to look at the world and the epiphany that age is just a NUMBER.

Through the academy, I have been able to improve my self management skills greatly thanks to the residential program, which has helped me to set productive routines for myself to be able to balance all aspects of my life. The IB cirriculum and the Aga Khan Strands have enabled me to have a more open minded approach to whatever I learn and have made me want to do more research to extend my learning beyond what I learn in school. I am also grateful for being able to extend my leadership through being part of the Student Representative Council, where I introduced a basketball league, and for having been able to immerse myself in the Service Learning Program as a part of the IB Middle Years Program to learn more about sustainable development and create long lasting impact to make changes in communities.

I am a pro-active, confident, and ambitious person, and I owe that to my time at the Academy. I have solidified ethical and social values and challenged myself in starting and organizing initiatives, leading and managing community services that have truly instilled within me the urge to cultivate equality and sustainability everywhere around me. I have learned to manage myself - my social and personal life, academics, fitness, and hobbies – in a delicate but creative balance, and that is a subtle skill I believe is vital to when I manage global enterprises, programs, and services in the future. I am most proud of starting ‘Funza’, a confidence-building student organization in the Mombasa community, and pinnacling my interest in politics by leading and enhancing the Model UN club on campus. I have developed a versatile set of skills here at the Academy, preparing me for the next phase of my life!

I love working with and helping people. The impact the academy has had only life has been eye opening and has shaped my outlook on academics. Through the academy I have been able to develop my work ethic, learn to consider various perspectives, and be independent. The opportunities that I made the most of at AKAM was being able to apart of the SRC as the day student representative and being apart of TEDxYouth@AKAMombasa2020 as the co-lead organizer. Ultimately I would say I am most proud of co-directing the Diploma 1 play entitled Memphis as it allowed me to explore various specialist roles in theatre and step out of my comfort zone.

Being at the Academy for 12 years. I can say without a doubt, every year has seen me grow in a different manner, all contributing to the person that I am now graduating as. Reminiscing about my days at the Academy, one aspect about me that has been instilled in me that I value the most has to come from my basketball days during my high school experience. Learning how to balance the sport that I love and my academics helped me become a much more well-rounded character and just as with any other sport become more adaptive to different situations. Most of all, I have learnt that no feat is beyond me. My basketball journey started with me being a bench player and graduated with me being a player in the starting line-up, let alone being the assistant captain. If that isn’t growth then I don’t know what is.

At the start of my AKAM journey, I would have described myself as a shy person who'd be too afraid to think out of the box and who disliked change. However, during my time at the academy, the endless study and extracurricular opportunities have moulded into a lifelong student who is eager to build new connections with people and continue evolving by gaining knowledge and taking advantage of the opportunities that I am presented with. At AKAM, I learnt the importance of seeking support from my peers and teachers without being afraid to do so, this in turn built upon my open-mindedness and confidence. Moreover, through being a part of various activities such as attending an annual service trip to Prague, I gained insight on the numerous unconventional ways one can give back to the community.

My experiences at AKA, M have helped shape the person I am today. I have learned that kindness and positivity go a long way especially during difficult times, I have also learned the benefits prioritizing has within all aspects of my life. I have made use of the opportunity to spread positivity to different members of the AKA, M community. Lastly, I'm most proud of representing, encouraging, and highlighting the benefits of the performing arts during my time at the academy.

Today, I am happy with the person I have become and it's all because of AKAM. Coming from a class 14 to a cohort of over 60 people, all with different backgrounds was an amazing ride of experience.I joined the academy as someone who was not entirely confident and AKAM provided a huge platform where I was able to build my confidence and improve on various skills. For instance, the opportunity to become a mentor in the Talent Identification Mentorship which strived to brighten the experiences of kids joining the academy in the middle of the year. Not only did I get opportunities in services and activities, but the experience of meeting new faces which eventually became a family, and getting support from all my teachers made it an astounding home away from home. I would have never learned to believe in myself if it weren’t for AKAM!

The Academy provided me with the platform to foster my leadership skills as an Executive in Model UN. The CAS requirements ensured that I was all rounded and well versed in the academics, sports and service. Thus, I was propelled to launch a YouTube channel, Euler's Fulfillers, to address the needs in mathematics at our school. I also got the opportunity to represent my school in football tournaments and matches.

I'm very passionate person when it comes to friends, community and sports. The academy has expanded my ideology and comfortability with people and participation. I've had numerous opportunities working with my community and it has increased my awareness of the world and what can be done to support it. My greatest achievement since joining the Academy has been Football, because it has shaped and taught me a lot of transferable skills in life. The difficulties of being a woman in the sport and the effort needed to improve your craft, inspire others, and change people's perspective of women's sports and that's what I'm most grateful for.

I joined the academy as a shy, undiscovered child standing at the height of 4'11 as the child with the shortest height and level of confidence to follow. My journey through the academy has been strenuous and very eye-opening to say the least, before joining the academy; my mind had its restrictions to certain types of people, certain subjects and most especially certain approaches to learning. I joined the academy and learned about the learner profile, at that point in time it didn’t really click, but throughout my journey at the academy I got to learn what each and every one of the profiles stood for and how beneficial they are. I can proudly say I have become a more open, confident and independent person. Because of the academy I was able to attend a Giants of Africa Basketball camp and emerge an all star as my biggest achievement.

My 12th birthday was my first day at AKA,M. I now recognize it as my most pivotal day. I am proud to be raised by roommates, dorm-captains and dorm-parents who inspire and support my journey. I crossed milestones like: founding service organizations and enterprises, initiating a school YouTube channel, delivering a TEDx Talk, acting in our school production, rising as EAMUN executive, participating in challenging summer programs and more. I spent years working to become the SRC President and secure an esteemed university. But after all, I’ve learnt that “life is about the journey, not the destination.”

My proudest moments are not my achievements, but are every moment I experienced immersed in AKAM’s diverse community and rigorous academic environment. I’ve grown into an inexorable and bold woman; a work of art. The Academy has nurtured my mindset and strong-willed character to battle life’s challenges with determination, confidence and aspiration.

My time at the Aga Khan Academy has a tremendous impact on me and I attribute this to the community-centered environment that has allowed me to grow and become an individual I am proud of. The academy had given me the opportunity to become a well-rounded individual who values both education and what lies beyond it such as the numerous CAS events I been able to contribute towards. As I first started the Academy, with little confidence and not the most diverse mind-set, I can now proudly say I have made friends with those different than me, embraced it, and competed in a sport I would surely have drowned in 5 years ago.

The Academy has changed my life. I walked into its walls confident but naive, unable to see that what was around me extended past my bubble of comfort. The immersive curriculum, community and experience opened my eyes to a world I hadn’t seen before. It made me form my own opinions and shape my own prospects, allowing me to explore every facet of my character without fear. I’ve been granted so many opportunities as a part of the school, I was a Tedx Speaker, a dorm captain and even acted on many occasions. I was able to combine all my loves and I will be forever grateful to the academy for providing a platform for me to do so. I wouldn’t be who I am today without it.

I’ve been a student at the Academy for 12 years. I began my journey as a young girl in year 1 and I’m leaving as a grown, strong, independent woman who is ready for the next phase of her life. The Academy has taken me through some highs and some lows where through the teachers’ motivation and passion, my fellow peers' engagement and the social life and enrichment, I was able to get through this rigorous system. The Academy in itself is amazing. Having a diverse community is eye opening and has also made it possible to enhance my learning in terms of understanding things better and being more open minded and mindful towards others. I am very grateful for all opportunities the school has provided. From going to Prague for CAS to having the chance to do an internship which helped me grow closer to my community.

The Academy has taught me how to always manage my time so that I have time for myself and time to do the things I love. The one thing I am most proud of is how well I improved in Hockey and all the fun we used to have as a team and how dedicated I was to ensuring I attend practice. As a person I believe I have become more confident and open minded because before I was a very closed off person and I’d keep my ideas to myself but the different group work activities and interactions I have had with different people have allowed me to work on my confidence. I am proud of the person I am today and I am proud that the MAKOSA team made it through the toughest 18 months of IB together :)

My name is Michelle Diawara and I live in Nairobi, Kenya. As much as I’ve been at the academy for only the past 2 years, the experience has filled me with life lessons and memories that will last me a lifetime. The experience taught me the importance of resilience and positive community through various challenges that we may experience. It also taught me the importance of utilizing whatever privilege we have to instigate development within our environments.

The academy provided me a platform to not only grow academically, but to also engage in my passion in community outreach. Through the academy, I was able to organize blood drives, travel for CAS and impact various students by being a mentor in the TID program at the academy.

When I came to Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa in 2015, I was a timid kid. I didn't interact much with people. However, throughout my journey at the academy, as I was exposed to customs and ideologies such as pluralism, acceptance, diversity, and many AK strands, I started opening up and gaining confidence in myself. I seized opportunities by participating in competitions and leading different clubs. I became very open-minded and developed adaptability skills that will help me be comfortable around different people anywhere in the world. AKA,M provided me the tools that shaped my personality right now. I met people from different regions of the world that aided me to expand my knowledge about various cultures and create lifetime bonds. The one thing that I am most proud of is starting and leading the Astronomy club and the girl’s cricket team with my friends based solely on our passion.

Being a first-generation immigrant from India to a third world country has made me an individual who values cultures, people, beliefs and is in constant search to make a sustainable change. The Academy has been my backbone throughout this journey. I have grown immensely and was nurtured with love and support from some of the greatest role models. The past 5 years in the Academy have altered my perspective on humanity, diversity and the importance of giving back to our communities. This gave me the opportunity to partner up with an NGO that works to eradicate hunger and food wastage globally allowing me to become the youngest team lead in Uganda, give a TEDx talk and speak at the African Education Festival, 2019. My proudest moment are the connections I have been able to build which will help me make the world a better place than we found it.

AKAM has molded me into a confident and more self-aware woman through the people I interacted with as well as the various activities I participated in. I believe that I made the most out of the leadership opportunities in AKAM. I am extremely proud of my AKAM journey because each experience in AKAM has shaped me into who I am today.

Looking back to when I first joined the academy in 2015, I had no idea who I was and what direction I wanted to take in terms of who I wanted to become! But within this 5 year journey AKAM has instilled so many values in me and has influenced so much of the person that I am today!

The opportunities I’ve made the most in my life at AKAM where mostly leadership opportunities and trying to leave a positive impact on the people I interacted with throughout this journey! AKAM takes full credit for the person I am today because this school shaped me to become resilient, open minded, a risk taker, amongst many other qualities that I posses now. I am proud that I got to leave a positive impact on the people I interacted with and proud of the person AKAM has made me to be!

The academy and it’s vision has made me grown as an individual from all areas. The experience and the challenges faced at the academy has made me more confident as an individual. I’m extremely grateful to have made a second family at the academy. One key thing I learnt was that never run from your problems rather you should face them with courage.

I was a girl who used to attend school because it was the norm and AKAM made me discover my passion, my purpose, become ambitious and always pushes myself. AKAM prompted my unceasing ambition towards developing a wider spectrum of perspectives on global political challenges, gave me confidence in my ideas, made me realize that education is more than academics and has enabled me to identify my responsibility towards the world. AKAM has presented me with many opportunities- internships, service opportunities and enrichments. Through AKAM, I got the privilege of attending Ryerson University's DMZ Sandbox incubator program. My cohort attended CAS trips in Prague which advanced my understanding of the creative ways to enjoy the CAS journey. AKAM has always created an environment for growth- I have made mistakes and learnt from them with the support of teachers and staff. AKAM gave me a family away from home!

I would like to think of myself as a self motivating person, and for this quality I would like to attribute this quality mostly to the Academy- especially the residential life. Moreover, I have come to learn a lot about myself as a human being, and what I stand for which lead me to create my own social enterprise that promotes environmental activism. The Community service activities at the Academy have greatly impacted the way I have approached this project of my own and how I run it and has equipped me with the basic tools and the foundation to start off something and execute it from the idea to the mobilization of a team. I am proud of this most among many other things!

I leave the academy at a time of great uncertainty, though I find that I have learned to express myself through art, speech and writing, skills that will allow me to join university with confidence, patience, and perseverance. My experiences at the academy taught me the importance of social conscience when working to create solutions to issues faced by others. Through starting my own CAS project, the lived experiences of others were crucial in understanding the needs of the wider community. I will continue to cherish my time as a dorm captain which allowed me to serve a leader to young women from around the world. The challenges I faced made me a competent leader, able to work with others who have varied ideas or approaches. I hope to take these experiences and memories with me as I endeavor to continue to take on leadership in my university and community.

Hello! I’m a gregarious, passionate and creative student who loves to communicate and interact with everyone. Six years at the academy have been life changing in aspects like self-growth, collaborative working, working with the community and to top it off, physical health education. The Academy created an environment where I was able to explore different activities, serve the community, play sports and sing and act all at the same time. The academy also allows dp1's to engage in the school play which led me to have the opportunity of being the lead female actress in 2019. It was an unforgettable moment that brought light to the path I want to focus on. I am proud of the memories and bonds I formed with this community because it doesn’t end there. I’m leaving the Academy knowing that it helped me discover who I am and the career I am headed towards.

When I was twelve, I had an experience that would change my life forever. I came face to face with the power of self- discovery. Joining the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa from a system where you’re forced to think in a certain way and no chance to explore more on your interests; the Kenyan 8-4-4 system gave me a chance to find and immerse in my passions. I have gotten to experience an entirely new way of thinking, discoveries and solving the puzzles that I have had doubts in for a long time, not to mention the personal growth and the interaction with different people around the globe who hold different interests. I hope that I will able to work with other young arising leaders to improve my community and create more opportunities to young leaders who will be able to make this world a better place.

My experience at the academy has been a journey filled with happiness, lessons and discovering myself. The conducive environment created by the people has led me to plant in my confidence and it has bore fruits that I cannot even explain. I must say that it has taught me to tackle issues to do with the society and I have learnt to interact with people from different places despite our differences. I am proud of creating positive impact within certain individuals at the academy.

Hi, I am Sneha Bardai from Lubumbashi DR Congo. At the Academy, I engaged in many different student clubs where I met diverse people from various countries such as Tajikistan, Uganda and others. Through the leadership skills that I acquired at the Academy, I led Uhai (service group) and worked collaboratively with Cannan Orphanage to introduce a Literacy program.

I was a Residential Captain in the youngest block in the residences. Furthermore, I conducted activities that would allow communication and understanding between the girls and the residential parents.The Academy made me a strong, independent girl as I always imagined to be. I am proud to say that I have graduated from AKA,M.

AKAM gave me a chance to meet people from different cultures and backgrounds and helped me become more pluralistic and open minded. It gave me several opportunities to showcase and refine my leadership skills. I am grateful that AKAM was the place where I made relationships that lasts a lifetime.

Hi! I'm Vallerie and I have been at the academy since grade one. Through the academy, I have been able to grow tremendously in expressing myself and doing it with confidence. During my junior years, I didn't have a problem with expressing myself but, as I grew up and begun to understand that expression comes with criticism and judgement, I hid behind a wall in which took a toll in the social aspect of my life where I wasn't open to making new friends because I didn't know how I would come off as a person. Thanks to the schools vast opportunities such as enrichment's that included the expressive arts, I was able to get out of my shell and accept criticism positively whenever I had to put myself out there because I understood that with criticism comes growth. Thank you AKA, M for the phenomenal, unforgettable school experience!

As I had described in a poem I had published a few years ago, I came as a seed in the garden of the Academy and I am leaving as a full-grown colourful scented flower. The Academy has made me altruistic and passionate about giving back to society. The Academy has shaped my identity and has made me open and accepting to new cultures and people of other walks of life. I now acknowledge that we live in a world of differences, we are a mosaic of differences, but it is all about using these differences as an opportunity rather than a challenge. The Academy has taught me the value of things like family, community, my education, my voice and so many other things that can be taken for granted. Most importantly, the Academy has made me a leader, not only of tomorrow, but a leader of today.

Getting accepted to this academy was nothing less than a dream come true. This school has helped me grow drastically over the two years period in terms of leadership skills. Graduating from AKA, M has also opened opportunities for me around the world when looking for potential universities to go to. The AgaKhan Academy has made me a more open-minded, diverse and a confident person by providing me different opportunities like taking part in different competitions and being a part of various enrichment clubs.