Sylvester is currently in the thick of writing his final project and providing all goes well, he will graduate with a Bachelors of Commerce in December this year. What an incredibly exciting thought! Sylvester will be the first young person to come from the streets, through the Turning Point programme, and go on to earn a degree. We are incredibly proud of his hard work, as are his family.
This final project or dissertation is hard work but its the only remaining hurdle between Sylvester and his degree, then he will launch into the world of work. We hope that his time in university has put him in good stead to take on the next challenge of hunting for an internship or job to start off his career.
This project is now fully funded which means all the funds needed for Sylvester to finish off have been provided. Sylvester is grateful to all those who have supported him in his studies and wishes to pass his heartfelt thanks. We at Turning Point are also so thankful for Sylvesters supporters as it is a great encouragement to all of the staff and the children remaining in the programmes to see Sylvester do so well. His success will certainly inspire others so thank you for making this possible.
During the recent school holidays Sylvester stopped by the Turning Point library for a visit. He seemed very well and his growing love for books was evident as he explored the library and got sucked into Salmon Rushdie's Midnight children. Certainly, the experience of going to university is really broadening Sylvesters experiences and perspectives and he is hungry to learn more and more.
In the last report, I noted that sylvester has been looking for part-time work. As yet he has not found any, this is so often the case in Kenya where jobs are few and applicants are many. He is considering changing to finish off his degree in evening classes to give him more opportunities to find work during the week. This is something that social worker Gladys and other staff can sit and talk through with Sylvester to help him make the best decision.
It was wonderful to have Sylvester visit the library where many younger primary school pupils are studying hard and working on their homework. For them to meet Sylvester who shares their community and background and for them to see him studying and prospering in university is a real inspiration to many of them.
Thank you everyone who is supporting Sylvester, certainly your giving is not only impcting Sylvester but his family and those younger ones who look up to him in the community. Thank you.
Micro and macro economic theory, investment analysis and portfolio management, accounting, auditing, marketing, business law... these are just a few of the many courses Sylvester is studying this year at the University of Nairobi. They may be tough subjects but they will set him up well for his dream job to work in a bank.
Sylvester has been trying to find some part-time work to give him a little extra pocket money and to help support his family though as yet he has not been able to find anything that will fit in with his study schedule. The job market in Kenya is very competitive but Sylvester is hopeful that when he does eventually graduate he will be in a much stronger position to apply for jobs.
Sylvester heads back to class this week after he Christmas break and continues to be incredibly grateful for the opportunity to study, so on his behalf, thank you to all those who have been so faithfully supporting him.
Sylvester is now in the first semester of his third year at Nairobi University and says he is excited to be at this advanced stage despite the fact that it means a lot more work and a lot more reading. His marks continue to be good, in is most recent exams he scored all Bs which he was very happy with.
Beyond school life Sylvester has moved to accomodation that is closer to the university which makes life easier for him getting to classes and means he can spend more time in the library without worrying about how he will get home.
Social Worker Gladys keeps in contact with Syvester througout the school year to help him with any problems, give advice and generally encourage him in his studies. Soon they will need to start discussing Sylvester's plans for when he finishes his course, but for now Sylvester remains focussed on his books.
Sylvester's course is going well and he continues to show great interest and dedication to his studies. The Commerce course involve lot of maths and business topics but the students also o assignments on wider topics that are relevant to developments in Kenya. Sylvester is learning to do research in the library and on the internet on these wide topics and is really broadening his reading beyond Commerce.
Last year Sylvester increased his workload to study 6 units each semester rather than just 3, this will help him to progress through the course much faster, he is eager to launch into his career and use what he has been learning. He has continued to perform very well in these units despite the extra work, scoring well in his end of term exams.
Sylvester has also learnt to use a laptop and is able to word process his assignments using a laptop he has borrowed from Turning Point, this computer skills will further increase his ability to get a job later. Recently Sylvester has been looking for some part-time work so that he can help support his family back in Kibera while he studies, as yet he has not found anything
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