Four Scholars Present their Research at the African Diaspora Investment Symposium in California

In March of this year, four Ashinaga USA Scholars volunteered, networked, and presented posters on their Ashinaga Proposal research at the annual African Diaspora Investment Symposium (ADIS24) in San Jose, California.

ADIS is hosted by our partner the African Diaspora Network, where people from accross sectors - from fintech and health, nonprofit and education, government and the arts - gather to address the power and influence of the diaspora in developing industries on the continent. The theme of the 2024 symposium was "Activate with Africa: Climate Change, Connections, and Action."

The four Scholars who attended were chosen based on their academic standing and essays submitted to the ADIS grant application, and were accompanied by Ashinaga staff, Elisa and Lynne. Prior to the event, each of the Scholars worked on multiple drafts of their posters and met on Zoom to practice their "elevator pitches."

Arsema (St. Olaf College, class of 2026) presented her poster, "Navigating Careers with Virtual Reality." On the event, she said, "it was nice to be in a room of people trying to do something significant in their home country."

Arok (University of Richmond, class of 2027) presented his poster, "Quality Education for Orphaned Refugee Students." Arok stated that, "The networking part was really great for me. I've never felt so inspired." As undergraduate students, the Ashinaga Scholars were the youngest participants of the event; Arok explained that they were still able to network and discuss their ideas as peers of the other participants: "I was really moved by how humble everyone one was, I remember some of them approaching me, and at first, as a student you would think that you are of less value."

Nyuon (Bucknell University, class of 2027) presented his research, "Refugees' Access to Higher Education." Nyuon also had success networking, saying that "People were willing to listen, and to get to know me as a person, what I do outside of school." He has already followed up with a number of people he met, and although he is only a freshman he learned the importance of taking initiative and making connections with even those outside of one's field of interest.

Sabrin (Hobart & William Smith Colleges, class of 2027) presented her poster, "Youth in Somalia: Access to Employment Opportunities." Sabrin was inspired by the event, saying that "Everybody I met, hearing them talk about what they are doing, passionately and proudly, encourages me to pursue my dreams and become a change maker because they are all making an impact in their communities."

Congratulations to our four ADIS24 Conference Grant winners! We look forward to seeing how their networking and experience helps to shape their growing professional development!