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A Dream Come True: A Summer School Scholarship to Philip Exeter Academy

Fifteen year old Idah Savala, a Form 3 student at Providence Girls Secondary School, will be travelling to the U.S. this month after she won a summer school scholarship to Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire.  Idah is one of a handful of students around the world to win this summer school scholarship to the prestigious Exeter Academy.
Raised by a single mother, life has not been easy for Idah.  Her mother struggled to provide for basic necessities for her seven children, let alone pay for their school fees.  Despite her background, Idah excelled in primary school and won the Ambassadors Girls Scholarship (AGSP) through which she received financial and mentoring support.

In 2006, Idah was selected to go to Providence Girls Secondary.  It was while at Providence, that she learned of Advancement for Girls Education (AGE), a local non-profit organization that helps economically disadvantaged girls to attend boarding secondary schools by providing full scholarships.  AGE works to meet as many needs of the scholars as possible by looking at possible barriers including tuition, room and board, transportation money, uniforms, supplies and toiletries as well as pocket money.

Idah will spend five weeks at Philips Exeter Academy studying and learning from other international students.  She vows to work hard and transfer all lessons that she will learn to her peers at home in Malawi.   Idah writes “It is my promise that I will work extra hard when I go there.  I want to see how I can compete in class with people from different countries.  Upon my return, I will have the opportunity to share with my friends the new study techniques that I will have acquired.” Idah aspires to become a medical doctor some day.