‘Dream come true’: Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Convocation

It was an evening of big smiles and congratulatory hugs.

Mastercard Foundation Scholars from McGill, along with friends and family, alumni of the program, and other McGillians, gathered to celebrate this year’s 23 graduates, as well as a decade of the incredible program at the University.

“We’re scholars from different backgrounds, but we’re connected by a dream come true,” said newly minted grad Afees Agboola, MA’23, speaking to the crowd.

Since 2013 the Mastercard Foundation has partnered with McGill to offer full scholarships to aspiring young leaders from sub-Saharan Africa, empowering them to get a world-class education and providing comprehensive support that includes internships, leadership development, and mentorship.

Over 100 Mastercard Foundation Scholars, both at the bachelor’s and master’s level, have graduated from McGill, transforming not only the lives of the Scholars but also the University as an institution. McGill will welcome a new cohort of graduate scholars in September.

Giving back

Reflecting hours of studying and hard work, Agboola joked, “McGill isn’t easy to get into but it’s even more difficult to get out from.” He encouraged his fellow scholars “to remind ourselves of how we can give back to those amazing young girls and boys in Africa, still battling with socio-issues and socio-stigmas.”

Rufaro Gapare, BSc’23, just completed a double major in physics and computer science.

“It was awesome, life-changing... I wouldn’t know where my life would be without [the scholarship]. As a student coming from Zimbabwe, I had never experienced a big city like Montreal or winter. Mastercard [Foundation] was with me at every step, and I’m really grateful for that.”

She’s now working as a software engineer at Amazon, but she’s also launching an app this summer called R-Gaps to help others in Africa break into the big tech companies and software engineering.

“The way Mastercard [Foundation] supported me, I’d like to give that back to the community. That’s my next step.”

Incredible support

“People don’t realize what it takes to move from somewhere where you are the majority to somewhere where you are the minority,” said Doreen Kiprono, BSc’22, who was there to support the latest grads. “You have to absorb the culture. Your perspective widens. I want to be able to bring that back home.”

She explains she originally thought she would study medicine. “I came here and changed my mind. I joined different clubs, I met different people, and I was curious about tech.”

Now she works as an Infrastructure Transformation Analyst at Accenture consulting firm.

“The program had such a huge impact on who I am.”

Gloria Uwizeyimana, MSc’21, studied Bioresource Engineering, specializing in water resource management. She was admitted to McGill when the pandemic had just started.

She laughs when she recalls her arrival in Canada. She explains that while she had been told it would be cold, she wondered, “‘How cold can it really be? They must be exaggerating.” And she actually took off a layer of clothing to leave the airport. It was December.

“I turned blue. I felt like my heart wasn’t working anymore. I felt like I was dying,” she recalls.

Luckily a taxi driver quickly helped her with her bags. After that some friends she knew from high school helped her get organized and acquainted with the city.

She regrets that much of her time at McGill was spent online, but after she graduated, the McGill Mastercard Foundation (MCF) Transitions Project and the Mastercard Foundation were really there for her.

She received a stipend for an internship and support for project management classes she took at McGill’s School of Continuing Studies.

With those experiences she landed a role as Project Coordinator with One Tree Planted, a non-profit focused on global reforestation, and she’s managing projects in Africa.

“Everything equipped me for the job I have and I feel like I’m living the best life I ever imagined,” she said.

Emmanuel Ifada, MEng’23, agrees that the supports offered to scholars throughout their studies is incredibly helpful. “Especially the way they [Scholars Program Team] would check in on us,” he said. “They were so welcoming, they would bring us together, take us out to events – hiking, to the movies, to take our mind off our studies. They’re just an email away.”

While pursuing his studies in Electrical Engineering, he also completed an internship through the Transitions Project, which gave him a “taste of professional life before you leave McGill.”

“The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at McGill has been changing lives over the last 10 years,” said Pauline L’Ecuyer, Director of International Student Services and the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at McGill.

“Working with the Foundation has expanded our networks and interactions with partners on the African continent and beyond, and the network continues to grow to this day. We feel very fortunate to be included in a group of partners so committed to enriching the lives of these young people, their communities, and their countries.”

Leaders of tomorrow

Fabrice Labeau, McGill’s Provost of Student Life & Learning, was among the professors, senior leadership, and staff who made a point to attend the event.

Prof. Labeau has been involved in the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program for eight years. He spoke fondly of the contribution the scholars make to the campus and beyond. “They’re incredible people coming from different places in the world, starting their journey at McGill, taking risks in coming here. … I’ve seen so many of these scholars in the last eight years flourish into incredible people having incredible ideas that they bring to fruition. Real ideas that create companies that make the world a better place.”

Labeau noted the pressure the scholars face – but seem to take in stride, at least on their Convocation day. “Every time we meet you, we tell you, ‘You’re the leaders of tomorrow’ and you’re still smiling when I say it!”