1 | EaSEP 2017 Application

Education and Social Empowerment Program (EaSEP) Application

P. O Box 55736-00200

Nairobi, Kenya

Tel: 077-424-8275; 0721-555-734

Email:

Website:

EaSEP – 2017

The Education and Social Empowerment Program is a Nairobi-based NGO, certified by the Government of Kenya.Each yearEaSEP assists a small group of outstanding students from economically disadvantaged Rift Valleycommunities in applying for admission and financial aid at top American universities.

The organization is run by Kenyatta University Professor Lillian Boit and American journalist Janet Heinonen, and provides four monthsof extensive preparation for the SAT I, TOEFL and SAT II exams which are necessary for admission to most top American universities, as well as support in completing university applications.EaSEP also emphasizes leadership andteam-building skills,community needs assessments, critical thinking and public service.

In its eightyears, EaSEP has helped 54students earn scholarships to American universities, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton,Stanford, Dartmouth, Cornell, Brown, Penn, Columbia, Duke, Northwestern, Tufts, Amherst, Wellesley, Wesleyan, MIT, Cal Berkeley, and Pomona. Six otherEaSEPstudents will receive regular decision notifications by the end of April.

Candidate Qualifications

Candidates for EaSEP’s Class of 2017 must have completed high school and taken the KCSE in 2016. Candidates must either be from one ofRift Valleycounties Trans Nzoia, UasinGishu, Kericho, Bomet, Nandi, ElgeyoMarakwet, Baringo or Nakuru, or have attended high school there. EaSEP is looking for candidates with at least an A- average on the KCSE, a ranking in the top five percent of their class at a regional school or ten percent at a national school. Candidates must have demonstrated leadership. Candidates shall not have enrolled and started studying in a post-secondary degreeprogram.

EaSEPCommitment

All students joining the EaSEP 2017 class will receive subsidization of SAT l, TOEFL and SAT II exam fees as well as full room and board during EaSEPtest preparation sessions at Nandi Hills. In preparing for the exams, EaSEP students will work closely with American and Kenyan tutors. EaSEP will also provide assistance in selecting universities, correctly completing university applications, and preparing for departure to the United States for those students who are admitted with sufficient financial aid to American universities. The students noted above have received full need-based financial aid; their scholarships total close to 13 million USD (1.35billion KES).

Your Commitment

If selected, you will be expected to attend all sessions of EaSEP and to promptly complete all tasks asked of you outside of sessions. EaSEP test preparation and leadership sessions are tentatively scheduled to run from early June to early November in Nandi Hills, with a long break in August and a short break in October.You must agree to defer any enrollment at a Kenyan university for a year.

Application Process

Please fill out the following application to help us get to know you better. Feel free to attach additional information or your essays. All applications, whether electronic or in hard copy, and all supporting materials MUST be received by May 1. Email applications can be sent to . Students who are selected to proceed to the final interview stage will be contactedin early May. Selection interviews are tentatively set for May 20 in Eldoret.

We look forward to receiving your application and considering you as candidate for the EaSEP Class of 2017!

EaSEPAPPLICATION 2017

Student Information

  1. Name:

  1. Address:

  1. Telephone contact (mobile):

  1. Email address:

  1. Date of birth:

  1. High School:

  1. Mean Grade in KCSE:

  1. Grade achieved in English at KCSE:

  1. Class rank (if known):

  1. County rank (if known):

  1. Areas of academic interest (please list three):

i.
ii.
iii.
  1. Please list honors andawardsyou earned during high school and the year in which you received them.

Honor/Award / Year
  1. Please list and describe all clubs, sports, and activities that you have participated in at your high school and in your community and/or religious organization. Note the approximate dates during which you participated in the activity and how many hours per week you were involved in the activity.

Activity / Description / Dates / Hours per week
  1. Please list the leadership positions you have held at school and note in which form or the year in which you held that position (e.g., prefect,headgirl, head boy, leader of a club, team captain).

Leadership Position / Description / Dates
  1. Have you created any of the following online accounts (please place an X by the appropriate answer)
  2. College Board (SAT)Yes( )No ( )
  3. TOEFLYes( )No ( )
  4. Common ApplicationYes( )No ( )
  1. Have you ever taken the SAT or TOEFL? Yes( )No ( )

If yes, please indicate the date and the overall score below.

Exam / Score / Date

Family Background

  1. Mother’s name:

i. ID number:
ii. Mother’s phone number:
iii. Mother’s level of education:
iv. Mother’s occupation:
  1. Father’s Name

i. ID number:
ii. Father’s phone number:
iii. Father’s level of education:
iv. Father’s occupation:
  1. Guardian’s name (** If you have a guardian**)

i. Phone number:
ii. Guardian’s phone number:
iii. Guardian’s level of education:
iv. Guardian’s occupation:
  1. How many brothers and sisters from your mother do you have?
  1. If your father has another family, how many brothers and sisters do you have in this family?
  1. If you have a guardian, how many dependents does your guardian have?
  1. Do your parents or guardian support the living expenses of any other relatives, neighbors or friends? Please list their names and their relationship to you (e.g. grandmother).

Name of relative, neighbor, or friend / Relation to applicant
  1. Based on the information from question 20, use the table below to provide the ages of your brothers and sisters and what levels they are in education. List your siblings from the youngest to the oldest. State if the schools or colleges are private.

Brothers and sisters from your mother
Full Name of Family Member / Age / Name of school or college / Year in School/College / Tuition/
Fees / Scholarship/
Grants/HELB loan/CDF/Church / Amount of parent/guardian contribution
  1. Please also include the same info requested in question 24 above for any other relatives, neighbors or friends supported by your parent or guardian.

Relatives, neighbors, friends supported by parent or guardian
Full Name and relation / Age / Name of school or college / Year in School/ College / Tuition/
Fees / Scholarship/
Grants /HELB loan /C DF/Church / Amount of parent/guardian contribution

Asset Information

  1. Does your family own a car? Yes( )No( )
  1. Do your parents/guardians own a business? Yes( )No( )

If yes, what kind?

  1. Does your family own land? Yes( )No( )

If yes, how many acres? What is it used for?

  1. What kind of a home does your family have?

Mud wall ( )

Quarried stone ( )

Bricks ( )

Wood ( )

27. What kind of roof does your home have?

28. Do you have piped water? Yes ( )No ( )

29. Do you have power from the main grid? Yes ( )No ( )

Expenses

  1. Approximately how much does your family spend on the following each month?

Item / Amount
Rent/ Mortgage :
Food:
Educational Expenses:
Loan repayments:
Entertainment:
  1. Who paid for your school fees while you were in high school? Please explain in detail. If you received a scholarship/bursary, please list the amount.

Form / Fees paid by / Amount
1st
2nd
3rd
4th

Documents

All applicants must provide scanned copies of the following documents:

High school transcript showing all final grades received from forms 1-4

Preliminary KCSE score slip

Official Photo ID (National ID or passport preferred)

Letter of recommendation from a recent teacher or school administrator

Applications submitted without the above documents will not be considered.

Essays

  1. Please write a short autobiography that explains your background, including relevant details regarding your family, education, interests, school and community/religious activities, and goals for the future.(400-500 words)
  1. Please describe a time when you took a leadership role in a challenging situation. What did you do? What challenges or difficulties did you face? How did you overcome them and what did you learn from the situation?(200-300 words)
  1. Please describe a major problem facing your community. Who does it affect? What are the root causes of the problem? How have people attempted to solve the problem in the past? How might it be resolved in the future?(200-300 words)
  1. Please describe a major personal challenge you have faced in your life. How did you overcome the problem? What did you learn from the process?(200-300 words)
  1. Please describe briefly how you have spent the months since the KCSE, noting, for example, any work or volunteer activities in which you have engaged, or any courses you have taken. (Max. 200 words)
  1. Please provide any other information about yourself that has not been captured in this application below. This could include activities you participated in not mentioned above, special talents (e.g. drama, music, debate, art), or interests. (Max. 200 words)

7.Optional sample of your creative writing, fiction or non-fiction. Creative writing typically includes narration and character development to express the author's thoughts. (Max. 600 words)

~ Thank you! Asante! ~