Greetings!

My name is Marclus Marite. I am an alumnus of Nova Pioneer Tatu Boys (Class of 2022) and an incoming freshman at The California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

After sitting for my K.C.S.E, I spent most of my time at home, anxiously awaiting my results. As expected, I achieved an outstanding A, scoring 83 out of 84 points. However, what I did not anticipate was being recognized as one of the top students nationwide! This incredible honor opened doors to numerous opportunities and profoundly shaped the trajectory of my life.

Shortly after receiving my results, I was invited to join the Equity Leaders Program (ELP), a prestigious initiative designed for Kenya’s top-performing students. I underwent an intensive two-week induction at Sportsview Kasarani before interning as a corporate teller at Equity Bank’s Kenyatta University branch for seven months. During this period, I also participated in college counseling provided by ELP.

In October 2023, I took the SAT and achieved an impressive score of 1500/1600. That same month, I enrolled at the University of Nairobi to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture. Unfortunately, my college applications abroad were unsuccessful, and I did not secure admission anywhere. However, what seemed like a setback turned out to be a blessing in disguise. This experience reignited my determination and strengthened my resolve to navigate the grueling application process once more.

With renewed clarity and motivation, I applied to top U.S. universities in November 2024. In March 2025, my perseverance finally bore fruit. By God’s grace, I was accepted to both the California Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), each offering me full funding.

I am honored to be attending Caltech this fall, where I plan to major in Applied and Computational Mathematics and later explore the field of Quantitative Finance.

 

 

Hey Novaneers!

My name is Lisa Mukoya Ochieng, a proud alumna of Nova Pioneer Tatu Girls (Class of 2022) and an incoming freshman at Princeton University, New Jersey—still very much undecided on my major, but leaning towards something STEM (or maybe humanities? Who knows, we’ll see). 

Nova Pioneer played a huge role in shaping my journey, thanks to the incredible teammates who supported me every step of the way in high school. Special thanks to Mr. Otaka for guiding me through the application process and writing my counselor recommendation letter, and to Mrs. Melvin and Mr. Opiyo for their amazing subject recommendation letters. I’m deeply grateful.

After completing my K.C.S.E in December 2022, I spent my time at home waiting for results while working on coding projects (because what else do you do when you have way too much free time?). Then came January 2023, K.C.S.E results day. I was expecting good news, but I was still completely shocked when I saw my score: an A of 83/84 points, making me one of the top students in the country and the top girl in Ruiru Sub-county.

With those results, I was selected to join the Equity Leadership Program, which mentors top students countrywide into future leaders. During an intensive two-week job induction camp, we were trained on financial literacy, banking operations, fraud detection, and professional skills. After that, I began a six-month internship as a Relationship Officer at Equity Bank, Embakasi Branch. Alongside my internship, I joined the Equity College Counseling Program, where I prepared for the SAT, crafted my essays, and built my college applications.

I took my first SAT on August 23rd, 2023, scoring 1430/1600 (760 Math, 670 English). While I performed well in Math, the English section proved to be a challenge.

Around this time, I also joined the Kenya Robotics Team as the Assistant Team Captain and began working on building a robot for the FIRST Global Challenge in Singapore. The experience was incredible! I got hands-on with computer-aided design (CAD), deepened my knowledge of Java programming, and truly immersed myself in the world of robotics.

Then came the dreaded college application season, and let’s just say, it was brutal. I applied to 20 colleges in the US, and every single one of them rejected me. 20 out of 20. It felt like the universe had a vendetta against me, but deep down, I knew I couldn’t give up. I also explored other opportunities and was later awarded the full Türkiye Bursları Government Scholarship to study Computer Science at Ankara University. It was an amazing opportunity, but I took a massive risk and declined it to chase my American dream one more time.

Determined to improve my chances, I retook the SAT on October 5th, 2024. My English score went up, but Math decided to betray me that day (1380/1600—710 English, 670 Math). With a superscore of 1470, I still felt it wasn’t competitive enough, so I ultimately applied test-optional (without submitting my SAT scores).

This time, everything changed.

On March 27th, at exactly 2:07 a.m., I got the acceptance letter. “Congratulations!” My first-ever acceptance. And not just anywhere. Princeton University. The #1 ranked university in the U.S. offering me full funding. God came through for me!

I still got 10 rejections this cycle, but honestly? It doesn’t even matter. My American dream came true. I’m still in shock, but I know these next four years are going to be incredible.

To anyone out there chasing big dreams, keep going. Rejection is just redirection. Your moment is coming! And most importantly, trust in God. His timing is always perfect.

 

I had the privilege of interning with Nova Pioneer’s Finance team, and the experience exceeded my expectations in several aspects. I interned from May 15th to August 18th 2023, contributing to the Finance department’s daily operations and gaining invaluable insights into financial management in the education sector.

My motivation to seek an internship at Nova Pioneer stemmed from its reputation for innovation and commitment to excellence in education. I was once a student at Nova Pioneer, and I was particularly intrigued by the prospect of applying my finance skills in an environment dedicated to shaping the future through progressive education.

The internship confirmation process was smooth and transparent. The HR team played a crucial role in guiding me through the steps, ensuring clear communication and providing a comprehensive overview of my responsibilities. I appreciated their responsiveness and efficiency throughout the process.

During my internship, I reported directly to experienced finance supervisors. Their names are Bernard and Vincent and I thank them for their continuous support and mentorship. I collaborated with a dynamic team, engaging with professionals who were not only knowledgeable but also eager to share their expertise. I’d specifically thank Maureen for her continuous support even after the internship at Nova Pioneer. The collaborative atmosphere fostered a positive learning environment where I could actively contribute to real-world financial tasks.

My overall experience was incredibly enriching. I was exposed to diverse financial functions, from budgeting and forecasting to financial reporting and payment allocation. I also got to know how to work from both the accounts payable and accounts receivables side of the finance department at Nova Pioneer . Nova Pioneer’s commitment to professional development was evident through various training sessions and workshops tailored for interns. This holistic approach enhanced my technical skills and provided a comprehensive understanding of finance in the education sector.

Beyond the internship tasks, I received additional guidance and mentorship from other finance teammates such as Mamosa Modise from the finance team in South Africa. Their insights and advice extended beyond the immediate scope of my role, contributing to my overall professional growth.

I wholeheartedly recommend Nova Pioneer as an internship destination for alumni. The organization’s commitment to fostering a supportive learning environment, coupled with its innovative approach to education, makes it an exceptional place for hands-on experience. I believe other alumni will benefit significantly from the opportunities Nova Pioneer provides for personal and professional development.

Thank you, Nova Pioneer, for a transformative internship experience.

At Nova Pioneer, we know that the best marker of our success as a school group is the success of our alumni. We currently have 1169 alumni and counting, with 349 more joining as the school year closes at the end of this year. Investing in our alumni programming is a top priority for Nova Pioneer as our graduates transition from high school to their academic and professional lives, and one way we have invested in our alumni is through our annual Alumni Summit.

The purpose of our Alumni Summit is to provide a platform for our alumni to create and strengthen meaningful connections with one another, learn from field experts across the Continent and to engage in personal and professional connections to serve them in their futures.Throughout the day, alumni have the opportunity to hear from African leaders about their growth journeys, engage with leaders in small-groups through Master Classes, hear from other alumni through the Alumni Panel, and connect with fellow alumni through breakout “Speed Dating” sessions and a school-specific global impact planning session.

On Saturday, 22 July, 2023, Nova Pioneer held its second annual Alumni Summit, bringing together over 150 former students, current teammates, and guest speakers under the theme, “Reunite, reconnect, reimagine, reignite”.  Alumni of Nova Pioneer Ormonde, Tatu Boys, and Tatu Girls gathered virtually and in-person on campus to mark the day. 

This year’s Alumni Summit was hosted by Michelle Bochaberi (NPTG 2021), Sinovuyo Titi (NPO 2022), and Brandon Chisika (NPTB 2020), and opened with speaker Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Managing Director of Spotify – Africa. In a conversation moderated by 2019 NPO alumnus Jabu Mtwa, Ms. Muhutu-Remy spoke about her journey into leadership, and encouraged the group with her message that we each move at our own pace and some find their “big role” later in life.

After Ms. Muhutu-Remy’s opening speech, alumni had the opportunity to attend a small-group Master class led by an industry leader on the Continent. Master class facilitators included Dr. Stephanie Chesire of Signature Smile Dentistry, Gentamu McKinney, author of Keep Calm and Bring Your Carry-On, Elvis Maneno of Mobius Motors, Catherine Kiama of She’s The First, Lina Gichure of Roamtech Solutions Ltd., Mbuki Kasema of Wowana Ltd., Mthokozisi Madonda of NBA Africa, Likeleli Monyamane of Standard Bank Group, Stephen Wanyingo of Wezesha, Mary Onguko of Avanti Communications Group, Weldon Siele of Kecher Africa, and William Yakah of Wavy Ventures. In these tight-knit sessions, alumni were able to learn from a field expert about their professional journey and ask questions of the expert. 

Next, alumni headed into their school breakout rooms to plan an Alumni Reconnect Day – a chance for alumni to head back to their alma maters to lead in a Humanities and STEM competition and provide mentorship to current students. This was followed by an update on ways for alumni to stay involved with Nova Pioneer heading into 2024, including joining our alumni committee, becoming an alumni mentor, participating in an alumni speaker series, coordinating a service project, volunteering and a Nova Pioneer Open Day, applying for professional development opportunities, and nominating a fellow alumnus for the Nova Pioneer Alumni Culture Awards.

The summit closed with speaker William Kamkwamba, inventor and author of The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind. Mr. Kamkwamba shared his childhood story of problem-solving for his community in rural Malawi by building an electricity-generating windmill, and how that eventually led him to where he is today, heading the Moving Windmills Project.  In a question and answer session facilitated by 2022 NPTG alumnus Hazel Ochieng, William spoke about how he has become a stronger public speaker and communicator as a young adult, who inspired him (his grandmother, who taught him that you can solve your own problems), and his greatest fear (failure – but this is also what keeps him going).

Coming out of the conversation with William Kamkwamba, several alumni shared their interest in William’s Moving Windmills project – particularly his forthcoming Moving Windmills Innovation Centre, a centre aimed at growing African innovators and supporting their ideas to solve problems in their communities. Our Post-School Success team is currently exploring opportunities for our alumni to be involved in this exciting work, as well as other exciting opportunities to further partner with some of our Master Class speakers for future initiatives.

We sincerely hope that our alumni engagement does not end with the summit, and encourage our alumni to keep in touch and let us know how they would like to stay connected! Interested alumni are encouraged to fill out this form to register their interest.

Once a Novaneer, always a Novaneer!

 

If I were to choose two words to describe this experience for me, they would be, Life Changing and Memorable.

In June, I had the opportunity to travel to the United States of America to attend a two-week summer program offered by Yale University. When I decided to apply back in October of last year, I had no major reason for applying, I was simply just drawn to the program and that proved to be the best decision I have made so far in all my seventeen years of living. After months of anxious waiting I received the long-awaited congratulations message, on the morning of the 21st of December.

On the 18th of June, my nine months of long wait came to an end. I travelled to the United States of America to attend the Yale Young Global Scholars, 2023.

Check-in was between 9 am-4 pm ET at Davenport College. I arrived at 9 am. I was assigned to Jonathan Edwards College which was relatively quiet as per my preference. We were assigned to suites and in each suite were individual rooms. My mother and family friends helped me settle in for about two hours until they left because they did not want to be late for church. Then I was alone. And that’s when it all sunk in. Had I just flown across the world for the very first time? Was I walking in the streets of New Haven? Was I attending a summer program hosted by one of the most prestigious schools in the world? After unpacking, came the hard part … getting to know people.

Luckily I made it through that hurdle and by around 3 pm I had made it past the awkward first-time meeting formalities and had gotten used to making conversation with others. At 4 p.m. those from Jonathan Edwards gathered at the HQ lecture hall and we had a welcome briefing from the Residential Life Patrons. Around 7:40pm after dinner we finally met our families. Our family leader took us on a family walk to show areas we had access to and areas we did not in New Haven.

On applying one had four academic tracks to choose from

• Innovations in Science & Technology(IST)
• Literature, Philosophy, & Culture (LPC)
• Politics, Law, & Economics (PLE)
• Solving Global Challenges (SGC)

The YYGS curriculum is divided into:

• Breakout Discussions where you dig deeper into lecture content by sharing knowledge, posing questions, and brainstorming real-world implications with members of your family. During this time several debates arose which left you questioning your initial standing.

• Capstone Project –We had the liberty of choosing the area we would like as our Capstone. I chose to do Global wealth and inequality. Under the mentorship of YYGS staff, the project is all about encouraging us to think carefully through difficult, real-world issues, engage in research, and work through various arguments and considerations (economic, social, cultural, legal, and political) to better understand a topic of concern. We were assigned to a team of four or five and were tasked with designing a presentation within our assigned theme.

The research question that my team finally settled on was : To what extent do fast food chains influence the economies of developed and developing countries, how does this contribute to societal inequality, and what potential solutions can address these issues?

And we prepared a thesis and a 15-minute presentation surrounding this question.

This had to be one of the most difficult components of the whole experience. My group and I had a rocky start. We were all butting heads with each other. One side wanted to focus on Amazon as a multinational corporation and how it contributes to inequality whilst the other saw we would have more content focusing on fast food chains as Amazon is not as prevalent in some countries. From our research question you can tell our side won this debate:), but that wasn’t until one of our instructors had to mediate and help us work things through. In the end, our presentation was successful and we got a lot of praise. I thought I wouldn’t struggle with group work as we always do it in school, however, this experience taught me that, that was only because in school I was surrounded by people I was familiar with. During The capstone project, I was Working with people from all over the world with different experiences and different opinions. Coming to understand their point of view took some time.

• Family Time-We were assigned to families which consisted of 10 students and a family leader. During this time we would play games and generally get to know each other better. Family time also started a bit rocky. We didn’t know how to interact with each other. Fortunately, this wasn’t a long-lasting issue, after one game of Mafia the tension in the room disappeared. The game of Mafia became our “thing’ and any free time we would get we would gather to play. By the end of it, I had convinced everyone that I was always right and that they should vote for the person I suspected(regardless of them being innocent or not.

• Lectures-We had the opportunity to learn and hear from distinguished professors and practitioners who offered case studies, explain backgrounds, and explore innovative ideas.

In total, I attended five lectures:

 

• Creating Change in an Ever Changing World, Onyeka Obiocha, Executive Director, CTNext

 

 I still have mixed feelings about this lecture. Mr.Onyeka Started by explaining his background and how with time he slowly began to acquire his core values. He then asked us to list five of our core values. He gave a story of how he and his friend started a business and how slowly by slowly the business gained success. As he was doing this he would at times stop and tell us to cancel a value from the list, By the end we were all left with one value and he explained that despite the business being a huge success he decided to leave simply because it did not align with his values anymore. We all thought he was crazy. He proceeded on to explain that resiliency is crucial in creating social change, building community, and taking action, and in order to do so tough decisions will follow but it is our values that will drive us to make the right choices.

 

•      New Energy Technologies for a Green Planet, Dr. Daniel Prober, Professor of Applied Physics, of Electrical Engineering and Physics.

 

Dr. Prober dove deeper into how the lack of national resources can impose challenges on future development limits and about how we can use promising solutions to generate and store energy and water, faster and cleaner transportation, and how construction and buildings can save energy. He described co-generation at the Yale Central Power Plant, and the Yale Solar and Wind farms. He proposed many ideas, their benefits, and their disadvantages. It was mainly a factual session but still engaging. Some of his propositions seemed a bit…there’s no word to explain it, in short, his lecture brought about a huge discussion during our breakout session.

 

• Empowering Young People for Challenges in Global Mental Health , Sirikanya (Sanya) Chiraroekmongkon, MD, Yale Global Mental Health, Resident Leader, Yale Department of Psychiatry, Resident Physician

 

In the lecture, we dove into what global mental health is and looked at a personal anecdote, case example of mental health conditions, and barriers to mental health care including but not limited to poor quality of services, low levels of health literacy in mental health, and stigma and discrimination. In all countries, mental health conditions are highly prevalent and about one in eight people in the world live with a mental disorder. Suicide affects people and their families from all countries and contexts, and at all ages. It is a leading cause of death among young people globally. People with schizophrenia or other severe mental health conditions die on average 10 to 20 years earlier than the general population, often of preventable physical diseases. Sanya suggested that a community-based approach is the best way to tackle this problem.

 

•     The Political CEO, David Bach, Professor of Strategy and Political Economy, IMD Business School.

 

 Pressure on CEOs to speak out about pertinent social and political issues has increased dramatically in recent years, a dynamic further accelerated by the pandemic. Yet many issues CEOs are asked to weigh in, from immigration to minority rights to inequality and climate change – are controversial, and taking a public stand can alienate key stakeholders, including customers, employees, and investors. How should leaders and their companies navigate a world in which business has become much more political? He explained why CEOs are increasingly being asked to speak out on political issues, and how taking a public stand on a controversial issue might affect the business. In the end, he left us all pondering whether CEO political activism is a good thing. This brought about a heated discussion during our breakout session.

 

• Granting Refuge: The Role of State Institutions in Asylum Outcomes, Angela Yoonjeong McClean, Postdoctoral Associate at the Council on East Asian Studies and Lecturer in Sociology

 

The standards and norms on the protection of refugees and asylum-seekers are powerfully sustained at the international level, most prominently by the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, the key legal documents that form the basis of the work of the UN Refugee Agency. These documents legally define who a “refugee” is and outline refugee rights as well as the legal obligations of nation-state parties. The fundamental legal and moral principle – understood as the “spirit” – embedded in these documents is the protection of forcibly displaced people. Despite this, however, a huge cross-country variation exists between the state parties in the refugee recognition rate. The disparity in recognition rate is salient even amongst the richest democracies in the Global North, all of which are equipped with the political, social, and economic resources needed to host refugees, and are parties to the Convention and/or the Protocol. She explored one reason behind this disparity by analysing the domestic institutions directly in charge of refugee status determination focusing on the case of South Korea, a rich democracy that recognizes an exceptionally low number of refugees compared to its Western counterparts. The lecture elicited questions regarding the strength of international norms on refugee protection, the salience of legal and bureaucratic procedures on refugee status determination, and other domestic and international factors contributing to refugee recognition in the Global North.

Seminars

Seminars are designed to replicate collegiate-level courses based upon the exchange of ideas and the collective and collaborative analysis of a topic. Seminars cover themes and topics taught by instructional staff who have previously studied the field and are longer than most high school or undergraduate classes.

           I took three seminars in total

 

• Is it all just in your head? Global domination, racism, and the story of how psychology became a tool for torture

 

In this seminar, we discussed how psychology and global capitalism have been intertwined to promote ideas of white supremacy, particularly how it has merged with the discipline of anthropology to argue for a narrative of global domination by the West.

2. The failed attempt at Building a “better race”: The dark history of the Ivy League’s central role in the practice of Eugenics in the United States and Beyond

In this seminar, we discussed the many ways eugenics shows up today, anywhere from our standardised tests to who we deem “intelligent” versus not, and how a lot of the ways we view the world are deeply influenced by eugenics, even if we’re not aware of it, how it has become a normal part of our lives and academics, how Yale and its neighbouring institutions have been essential in pushing eugenic ideals into other disciplines, and talked about what it means to move forward into anti-eugenics work.

3. Multispecies Worlds: Tackling Conservation on a Shared Planet

We discussed how embracing a multispecies ethic that does not value one life over another might inform more sustainable and effective approaches to conservation.

We also visited the Peabody Museum of Natural History’s Vertebrate Zoology collection, where we saw and learned from physical specimens, gaining a better appreciation for the immense biodiversity that exists and is threatened by human activity today.

Symposium –

Symposium is a two-day, six-hour simulation designed to put students into roles where they are required to work collaboratively, think critically, and solve problems interdisciplinarily. The primary goal of the Symposium is for students to work together to create a presentation outlining the culture, crises, solutions, and governmental structure of their country. We were given country profiles for fictional newly formed nations (Costa de Luna, Leganthol, or Acempur) and created several cultural touchstones and a constitution for their new country. Each country is also facing a multitude of crises, and students will engage in problem-solving by researching and designing solutions for these crises. Our Groups country was Acempur.

Symposium was a more relaxed experience compared to Capstone.

From the curriculum, you can tell that it was a very intensive program. By the end of the day despite being so exhausted we still found ways to interact with each other. At eleven at night, my suitemates and I would gather in the empty living room play board games, and get to know each other more. It was simple things like this that ended your day well.

During our free time, we were free to move around the boundaries, explore shops and restaurants and visit Yale-authorised areas. We had key cards that gave us special access to different buildings, libraries, and art galleries.

All three meals were offered by Yale at the Pierson and Davenport dining halls. We were organised into shifts to control the number of people in a hall. I was assigned to have all my meals at Pierson dining hall shift 2.

The main takeaway from my whole experience has to be perspective…or rather Understanding perspective as opposed to only acknowledging. Through the various interactions I had and the group assignments I had to work on together with others, I realised that there are many sides to a story. The SGC track focused on systemic thinking. Systemic thinking is a perspective for it helps us see the events and patterns in our lives in a new light, and respond to them in new more effective systemic ways. Every problem is multi-faceted. The question is are you going to choose to look at it from one perspective or will you decide to focus on events, patterns, and the underlying systems to bring about sustainable change? Perspective forms the basis of everything.

 

On the 30th of June, the program sadly came to an end. The goodbyes were painful but the bonds I formed and the lessons I learnt will last a lifetime.

 

As the Global systems and Analytics Coordinator at Nova Pioneer this is my story.

I was nominated and voted as the Joy of Learning culture hero for the  year 2023. The news of my milestone did not come as a shock to me. This is bold to state but I have confidence in this stance due to feedback from my manager and my colleagues who see my passion for what I do.

At Nova Pioneer, Joy of Learning is about bringing infectious energy and delight into the learning space, because we believe joy fuels learning and hard work. This culture principle is centered around curiosity, exploration and a love for learning. I believe I embody this culture Principle because of how I approach my day to day duties with curiosity to learn and improve the details of my work. My passion areas are in; dashboards, trackers and surveys. It brings me great joy to teach my colleagues what I learn, from formulas, to how to efficiently get a task done using tools available to us  like formulas, dashboards, or a recent one I taught a friend to make use of descript, a transcribing application, instead of typing out a recording from a meeting. I believe when there is joy, exploration and curiosity , we get so much more from an experience, be it a book we pick up to read, a topic we research on or a lesson we deliver.

Having an objective mindset has been such an asset in my professional journey. Many teammates in Nova have offered me support, advice and tools that have spurred my growth as a person and a professional, and I believe it’s because I was not rigid to learn, I was curious and I ask questions, and I often have self reflections to keep myself accountable. To learn , we have to be willing to fail forward. Seek out new challenges, seek thought partnerships and support when we are stuck, and own up to our failures when they come, because those are opportunities that give us new perspectives and  a sense of direction. 

When you trace anyone’s growth journey others will be mentioned in it. To grow, we need to stretch out our hands for others to pull us up or push us up. Just like me, my manager Nicola and other teammates have enlightened me and directed me through giving  feedback , advice and encouragement. 

I delight in sharing what I learn and enlightening those around me as well. I have done this through giving feedback, offering support and lessons on how to organize data, or crunch numbers to some of our teachers, as well as having thought partnership sessions with others to problem solve, and this brings me great joy.

Nova Pioneer has provided me an opportunity to show up curious , ask questions, seek thought partnerships, celebrate progress and appreciate people. It is powerful to bring infectious energy into our learning space and celebrate progress, and I’m glad I learnt this early in my career. I give my thanks to the Nova Pioneer Culture. 

To create more stories like mine, take a second and give a glance to our Career Page. 

Being able to secure an internship in the Nova Pioneer offices was a wonderful experience. I was able to learn what I am interested in which was Marketing. I chose marketing because I believe it fuels many successful companies and also it is perfect for me because I am decisive and strategic in almost everything that I do. Being able to work hand in hand with the marketing team taught me a number of things. 

Personally, I was able to understand how each and every individual in an organization plays a certain role. I learned how to communicate with people in a professional setting as well as represent myself in a professional and official manner. 

Through my internship experience, I was able to carry out various tasks. For instance, I carried out market research which was beneficial to the Nova Pioneer organization. I engaged in projects which I would present to the marketing team that gave me a sense of what it entails to be in an office set up. 

I learned how to approach problems and come up with solutions to the problems, this was evident by being given opportunities to come up with different strategies. One of my major projects I was tasked with was the Parent engagement project. My goal was able to develop a plan to increase parent engagement within the school. 

I worked hand in hand with the marketing team to identify solutions. Not only was did I gain tangible experience but I was able to implement a lot of skills that I had acquired in the classroom. For instance, I applied my presentation skills which are taught in class,  public speaking which is displayed through demonstrating leadership skills in school in the Nova Pioneer culture. I applied database knowledge that I learned through my computer studies lessons in the office.

The internship with the Nova Pioneer marketing team gave me a positive outlook on how things are done and that everyone is important in the daily running of a business. Working together and creating a warm environment amongst your fellow partners tends to bring out the best outcomes in any organization. Nova Pioneer has truly brought out the best of me for initially I was not able to think how I recently do.

Today’s students have an exceptional array of options available to them after completing high school, but the path to post-secondary success is filled with uncertainty and challenges. Many elements  can impact a student’s ability to succeed after completing high school. We want to ensure that students perform well academically and ensure that they feel supported and prepared to succeed beyond Nova Pioneer.

 

Exploring post-secondary options

We recently established a Post-School Success (PSS) Team, which has developed a programme to provide all students with personalised guidance on exploring post-secondary options. Our PSS programme is a unique offering available to all senior students at the secondary school level.

The Post School Success team’s goal is to ensure that all students graduate with the character, capabilities & connections to pursue their passions through the best post-secondary fit. One of the ways through which they do this is providing avenues for parents and students to learn about different career options through University visits.

The Post School Success Team held a Fair in the month of August that hosted 10 local and 16 international universities (public and private institutes).  The universities had a wealth of information and inspiration to share with our secondary school form 3 and form 4 boys and girls students alongside their families. 

 

An introduction to SATs

The form 4 students continued to strengthen their skills as they head into KCSEs while the form 3 students were introduced to SATs and also filled in skill gaps across four key academic subjects. The families were also equipped with the right information and tools to enable them to make good decisions when it comes to selecting universities for their children.  We have since received positive feedback and lots of gratitude from the Nova Pioneer families and community for this successful initiative.

Above: Current families during the University fair.