By: Thaimu Bai Sesay
In celebration of the International Education Week, the U.S Embassy in Sierra Leone has on Wednesday 15th November 2023 continued with its special educative and interactive sessions at the FBC American Shelf with University students on the “Importance of International Education and Exchanges.
Speaking at the event as the main speaker, the Education USA Adviser of the U.S Embassy Sierra Leone, Madam Sebay Koroma started off by recounting her experience with the first opportunity she had to study at the United States. Inspiring students at the session, Madam Sebay narrated the diverse challenges she encountered with the strange course she applied for and the strange and advanced system of learning, as that was her very first time.
Regardless of those challenges Madam Sebay underscored that she was able to find her way out as she was very passionate and dedicated to the course and things started to become better, thou she had no background on that particular course. “I graduated first in my class with a distinction. A girl who almost lost her way at the start,” she expressed
Madam Sebay said thou she was later exposed to so many opportunities like internships and the rest of it, she maintained her decision of coming back to Sierra Leone and impact the society. She said that decision she made to come back had earned her a host of opportunities which had enabled her to travel to lots of countries including UK to study.
At the end of her inspirational story the Education USA Adviser of the U.S Embassy revealed that the United States Embassy in Sierra Leone has fully sponsored scholarship opportunities for short term courses, adding that the programs are very competitive and requires potential students with the utmost determination to come back to their home country and impact the communities.
The EducationUSA Adviser assured that the programs would have lots of opportunities to beneficiaries such as job opportunities as she said there were many institutions looking for people with international accreditations. She added that the short courses program would also provide network opportunities, as the beneficiaries would be expose to people from other countries and thereby expanding their networking.
As she assured that the programs would facilitate students to achieve a lots, she admonished the students at the session to be very specific and concise when applying with what they want to achieve at the end of the program. Madam Sebay emphasized the importance of International Education and Exchanges and encouraged students to grab the opportunity.
The EducationUSA Adviser of the United States Embassy to Sierra Leone Madam Sebay reinforced on the crucial need for students that would benefit from the program to ensure to come back so as not to ruin the opportunity and disadvantage the subsequent potential students.
The Chair of the session who was also a worker at the U.S Embassy Sierra Leone intimated that it was the U.S Government that granted the opportunities to the U.S Embassy in Sierra Leone for students to go and do research studies in the United States. He also reinforced that the scholarship was for students with the determination to come back and impact the society.
He encouraged interested students to go through the United States Embassy to Sierra Leone official websites, Facebook page or contact the EducationUSA Adiser of the Embassy. He clarified that only shortlisted candidates would be contacted for the subsequent procedures which involved interview and examination.