First Ever Wings to Fly Alumnus Wins the 2017 President’s Award-Kenya

Equity Bank Wings to Fly Scholarship Programme beneficiary, Dorris Nduku Waeni has become the first Wings to Fly scholar to receive the President’s UK Scholarship Award to study abroad

Dorris, therefore, becomes the first Wings to Fly scholar to receive the Kenyan President’s UK Scholarship Award and will be heading to the Bradford University in West Yorkshire, England.

The award makes the former Karima Girls Secondary School student the 11^th from Kenya to receive the award since the inception of the Northern Consortium UK (NCUK) programme.

It will see Dorris receive a five-year scholarship to pursue a Bachelors and Master’s Degree in Pharmacy and a one-year internship in the UK.

The President’s Award-Kenya (PA-K) is an exciting self-development programme available to all outstanding young people countrywide equipping them with positive life skills to make a difference for themselves, their communities, country and the world. It was launched in 1966 by the Founding Father of the nation, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.

The annual award is offered to intellectually gifted Kenyan students from humble backgrounds to pursue studies at a leading UK university. It is supported by members of the Northern Consortium UK (NCUK), Brookhouse International School in Kenya and British Airways.

While congratulating Dorris, Equity Group CEO Dr James Mwangi said winning the scholarship to a prestigious university in Britain shows the quality of values that have been inculcated in scholars through the Wings to Fly Programme.

“Dorris has lived the ethos of the programme and the values of Equity Group. She has good attributes that have endeared her to colleagues, her teachers and to the larger society.  Her character is that of determination,” said Dr Mwangi.

The CEO noted that Dorris, being the first Wings to Fly scholar to win the presidential award makes her a role model not only to her family but also to the other scholars in the programme.

Dorris expressed her appreciation for the support she has received since joining the programme.

“The Wings to Fly programme gave me a fantastic opportunity. It is the foundation of my life. It is because of this scholarship that I managed to work with Equity Bank and has helped shape my life journey, allowing me to accomplish so much,” said Dorris.

Dorris’ excellent performance in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams enabled her to secure admission to the Equity Bank Pre-University Paid Internship Programme under the Equity Leaders Programme (ELP) and served as an intern at Equity Bank at Kayole Branch.

During the internship, she applied for a six-month International Foundation Study scholarship at Brookhouse International School and on admission, she scored 2A* and 2As enabling her to secure the award.