July 2015 - Page 2 of 5

Sheilla Attends LeaderShape Program

Following my sophomore year, I received an amazing opportunity to attend the LeaderShape summer program. I learned leadership skills and how to create relationships and interact with faculty members. The weeklong Lehigh program introduced me to other like-minded Lehigh students. Each day had its own theme where we learned and discussed various leadership topics and […]

Assumpta & Irene Attend Global Youth Connect Conference

We were fortunate to be part of the 2015 Summer Global Youth Connect (GYC) conference in Rwanda. We were thrilled to be a part of this experience mainly because of the knowledge we learned from the curriculum and our peers. By attracting students from around the globe, GYC provided a diverse environment that fostered intercultural […]

Nadege on the Value of Hands-On Learning

This semester at Michigan State University (MSU) I had the amazing opportunity to receive a hands-on education working in my community! First, I spent time at a nearby nursing home where I was able to assist elderly people with3 daily activities like eating, showering, and dressing. For four hours every week, I would also volunteer at a […]

Jocelyn on Her Adventures in San Francisco

After finishing my finals in December, I flew to San Francisco to spend my first winter break with my mentors and to attend January’s OAD leadership seminar. Despite the overwhelming feeling of travelling alone and the size of the Dallas Airport, I knew that I was in for an amazing time and that this would […]

Sharon Soars at Summer Internship with Koutable

Summer 2015 has been a fantastic time for my career growth in between my semesters at Bennington College. I’m currently working with Kountable, a company that was introduced to me by Open A Door Foundation. Kountable is an IT company focusing on financing Rwandan entrepreneurs with tenders. My role in Kountable has been specifically focusing on assessing […]

Rina on Attending PLEN’s Women and Policy in the Global Community Seminar

PLEN (Public Leadership Education Network) is a national organization dedicated to engaging young women and preparing them to take on leadership positions in the public policy field. Throughout the year, they host a variety of different seminars on topics ranging from science and health policy to women in the non-profit world. I attended PLEN’s Women and […]

Jocelyn Reflect on Her First Semester

It is only one week before I finish my first semester at Lafayette College. My time at Lafayette so far has been filled with great moments that helped me adjust to college social life and academic life at Lafayette. I have faced challenges, hard decisions and happy moments. I have been able to learn and […]

Rina on Readjusting to Life after Studying Abroad

Since I returned from studying abroad last semester in Denmark, my schedule has been incredibly hectic! Readjusting to my school routine at Haverford College has been harder than I thought that it ever would have been, although I have been told that many students who study abroad have a difficult time transitioning back to “normal” life. Junior […]

Another Scholarship Winner for 2013!

We are extremely pleased to announce that Lehigh University awarded Sheilla Rukundo a full scholarship for this fall!Sheilla is one of seven children and grew up in a refugee camp in Uganda. She ultimately returned to Rwanda with her family, as they began rebuilding their lives after the genocide. She was elected Head Girl of the […]

Four Girls Awarded $1M in Scholarships!

We have great news! Four of our seven candidates have been offered full scholarships from top liberal arts colleges and universities!We were able to leverage a small pool of money into almost $1M in scholarship funds. Each scholarship is worth approximately $225,000. Open A Door was able to leverage a small pool of money donated […]