In the past year, more than 800 young women have graduated from our institution.

Despite the setbacks and immense challenges presented by the global pandemic, this is the largest number of students we have graduated in such a short space of time in our institution’s history. It is both a tremendous accomplishment for our team and an incredible celebration for our community. It is also a moment to acknowledge the significance of our next steps as an institution.

Today, we have both the opportunity and responsibility to turn our attention more meaningfully and attentively to those graduates, particularly the classes of 2019, 2020 and 2021. Our young leaders studied and graduated into an unfamiliar and changed career landscape. They face stressful realities that call for our emotional, spiritual, and practical support. 

Therefore, in order to focus our time, attention, and resources on supporting our graduates, we will unfortunately not be accepting an intake of students for any programs this fall, deferring intakes for our Information Systems, Business Management & Entrepreneurship, and Hospitality Management programs. 

This decision was not at all an easy one, and we share in the deep disappointment of many of the applicants who had hoped to join our community this fall. We apologize for the change, but have faith that it is the right decision for our team to focus on our current students, graduates, and our next season of growth.

Last week (while Rwanda hosted an incredibly dynamic week of gatherings and global collaboration for CHOGM), we celebrated the summer solstice: June 21st, the longest day of the year. 

“The word solstice literally means stopping or standing still. On the longest day and halfway mark of the year, pause. Feel the energy and possibility. As you stand on this threshold of change, move ahead, into the light.”

As we enter the second half of the year with that dynamic and hopeful energy, we are also proud to announce that our next season of growth includes the development of our long-awaited Bachelor’s degrees.

We spent significant time, energy and resources preparing for these new degree programs in the years before the pandemic began, in conversation with the Higher Education Council and our advisors in the region, and we are now ready to focus on the Bachelor’s degree program strategy, a vital and extraordinarily exciting effort. 

We will continue to work alongside our students, graduates, partners, and our extensive community of supporters to develop new programs in the coming years. Alongside our ongoing commitment to the highest quality education for all current students, we will prioritize offering learning and healing programs throughout our community, especially for those that are navigating growth and development in their careers and in their lives.

Thank you for your ongoing support, collaboration, and shared commitment to profoundly impactful education. We are excited to enroll our next classes into our new programs in the coming years, and will continue to share updates with you as we begin this chapter in our institution’s evolution.