For most high school students, the transition to college can be a daunting one. Dealing with various components of the new environment; new academic demands, new relationships and new settings can sometimes be overwhelming. The right buffer zone helps ease this transition.
For the past two years, the Ashesi Innovation Experience (AIX) has served as the needed intermediary for many high school students. For two weeks, students from all over Ghana and some parts of Africa converge on Ashesi’s campus to take part in this capacity-building program.
“AIX is an enrichment program for high school students,” said Dr. Ayorkor Korsah of Ashesi’s Computer Science Department, who also doubles as a Program Coordinator for AIX. “The program aims at expanding their horizon and exposing them to leadership, design and technology as well as entrepreneurship.”
For some, this kind of exposure provides the needed soft landing for making that smooth transition to college. Part of what makes AIX unique is how immersive the program is for the high school students. They’re coached by Ashesi faculty and staff and are mentored by Ashesi students, helping to build unique and lasting relationships.
[AIX participants work directly with Ashesi faculty on projects]
“My mentor kept me on my toes,” said Rudolph Dadey '19 who attended AIX in 2014. “He encouraged me to think through my actions before going ahead with them. This experience is what changed my focus from just wanting to make money, to actually trying to impact people’s lives.”
During the two-week period, the students are exposed to engineering, entrepreneurship and robotics, where their creative abilities are stretched. For Jessica Quaye ‘19, an Electrical Engineering student, AIX challenged her to expand her view on creativity. “The creativity element of AIX stood out to me,” she said. “People have their own ideas of what being creative is, but then AIX taught me not to be afraid to dream big or think up something that is impossible because within that impossibility lies something that you discover that can change the world.”
[Jessica Quaye '19 learned to work more creatively while at AIX 2014]
For a number of high school students who are faced with making decisions on college or the courses they want to pursue, AIX gives them a good primer. While some have ended up in Ashesi, others have been able to gain some clarity in what they want to do. Beyond college prep, AIX connects participants in unique ways and exposes them to possibilities beyond what they may be used to.
[Romeo Nettey '19 has chosen Mechanical Engineering at Ashesi, following his stint in the Engineering section during AIX 2015]
“We were encouraged to think outside the box,” said Romeo Nettey ’19, who attended AIX in 2015. “We threw away a lot of the limitations and were able to bring about new things that we previously didn’t imagine ourselves doing.”
Learn more about how you can be a part of AIX here, or visit the AIX blog or video channel to share in the experience.