Daraja Academy Admissions Interviews: Day 1
By Diana Grote
There are two benches resting under a low tree just inside the Daraja gate. Normally, these benches are empty, but on the morning of January 15th they seated sixteen girls in a row. The girls sat upright, wearing their best clothes, surrounded by nervous silence—you could tell that today was a day that mattered.
Their goal? A Daraja Academy scholarship. If admitted, they will receive a free secondary education, including room & board, healthcare, and leadership training. Without this scholarship, most of these girls will never see the inside of a high school classroom. Unfortunately, with over 300 applications and only 30 places, we can’t accept everyone.
Today’s applicants came from the area around Daraja’s campus—specifically, the Laikipia Plateau, where the secondary school enrollment rate is less than 60%, and early marriage is a reality. The circumstances are challenging, and the stakes are high.
One by one, the girls entered the interview room, and started to tell their stories.
She walked eight kilometers to school through a forest, where she feared attacks from armed men. She didn’t have food at home, and often only ate when teachers brought her food for lunch. She studies during breaks because there’s no light for homework at home. She fled across the country, avoiding a marriage that her father had planned for her—at the age of fourteen.
Over the course of six hours of interviews, the Daraja Admissions Team heard story after story, knowing that we could only accept a handful of these girls. Many of the applicants spent their interviews crying, and yet we had to send them home to the source of the tears. We can’t accept everyone—this is the heartbreak of Daraja admissions.
But Daraja doesn’t accept girls out of pity or because of unfortunate circumstances. Daraja accepts amazing, intelligent, extraordinary girls. Daraja is simply the bridge connecting fantastic girls with the education that they deserve—and this group of applicants proved more than fantastic.
This was day one, and we’ve found Daraja girls: girls who came into the room, sat down, and spoke with an eloquence and a power that we are confident will change the world. These are girls that are excited to join the Daraja family, and who we are passionate about supporting.
Yet, for every Daraja girl we find, there are more than ten applicants we have to turn down, and that burden is heavy. This isn’t like a job interview, where an alternative exists. Daraja is unique, and the implications of the admissions process is difficult for anyone to truly comprehend. How do you decide whose life will change?
This was day one. These interviews will continue for the next few weeks: hundreds of stories, hundreds of possibilities, hundreds of awe-inspiring students. It’s exhausting, heartbreaking, and yet still exciting. Entering Daraja is a pivotal moment in our students’ lives. It’s a privilege to be involved, and we continue the search for Daraja girls, motivated by the knowledge that the importance of the opportunity is greater than the challenge and heartbreak of the decision.
P.S. We need sponsors for every single student we’re admitting! YOU can make a difference in the life of a Daraja girl. Click here for more information, or email Janelle at janelle@daraja.org
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