Hubs for Connected Learning Students Will Attend Bard College after Winning Coveted Welcome Corps Scholarships

By Christian Baobab

Two students from the Hubs for Connected Learning Initiatives in Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya are preparing to head to Bard College in fall 2025 after being accepted into Welcome Corps on Campus (WCC), a refugee sponsorship program supported by US governmental agencies and higher education institutions. 

Originally from Sudan, which is facing a civil war, Grace George Kharthum (19) and Ruot Wichar Duop (25) secured the highly coveted scholarships from WCC after completing the Hubs’ Realizing Higher Education Access Program (RhEAP) program, which they say helped them to make winning applications. 

At Bard, Duop plans to study computer science and English literature, with a focus on developing data, software, and machine learning to provide innovative solutions to challenges in healthcare, education, and governance. Kharthum will pursue a degree in sociology, focusing on gender, education, and global development.
 

RhEAP Classes Help Master a Rigorous Process

The WCC program’s rigorous selection process lasted six months and involved an academic qualification eligibility check, English language pre-screening, and an oral interview. Kharthum and Duop then had to apply and wait with much anticipation for acceptance into Bard College.
 
Both students say their RhEAP educational experience played a key role in helping them to develop the personal and professional skills they needed to master the application process and prepare them for higher education. Since 2020, 85,000 displaced individuals have enrolled in Hubs courses and the RhEAP program in particular has placed 450+ displaced students in Kenya, Sudan, Jordan, and Bangladesh on the road to preparation for university. Ninety percent of RhEAP graduates have entered B.A. or certificate programs.
 
“The university preparatory courses that I have taken with the Hubs have been an opportunity to expand my knowledge and broaden my understanding of both academic writing and scientific concepts,” says Kharthum. She says the “Foundations of Academic Writing” course was instrumental in enhancing her oral and written communication skills and the “Science Literacy Skills” class helped her to develop her critical thinking and ability to identify evidence-based sources of information in daily life.

Similarly, Duop says “I learned how to craft great arguments through the essays we wrote (in RhEAP courses) and the research project we did. This was instrumental in my application process to the Welcome Corps on Campus scholarship, which I successfully secured.” 


Help Oneself, Helping Community

Despite the many challenges Duop and Kharthum have faced, they have successfully used education as a tool to not only make changes in their own lives but also in the lives of others in their communities. While facing the looming obstacles of xenophobia, financial struggle, and lack of housing, Duop has dedicated most of his time to empowering other refugee students through education, helping those in his community to learn English so they can excel in their national examinations. “My effectiveness in carrying out these community engagements, securing my WCC scholarship, and succeeding in my college application, rely heavily on input from the Hubs’ program,” says Duop. 

Growing up in a conservative, patriarchal community, Kharthum says she experienced gender discrimination and many of its negative effects. While volunteering at Dadaab as a teacher, she saw firsthand the disparity in educational opportunities for women. “These experiences sparked my interest and passion to enhance educational opportunities for women and advocate for gender equality,” says Kharthum, who also earned certificates in Child Psychology, Child Protection, and Education. 

“My journey from a refugee camp in Kenya to Bard College in New York is a testament to the power of education and support from dedicated individuals and organizations,” she says. 

Through its preparatory classes, the Hubs team is committed to supporting refugee students working hard to forge their own paths to higher education and beyond. Grace George Kharthum and Ruot Wichar Duop coming to Bard in 2025 is a testament to that promise.

Post Date: October 1, 2024