SNHU GEM ED Rachael Sears joined learners and partners to celebrate milestone achievements in Gaziantep and Kigali.
As 2024 comes to a close, SNHU’s Global Education Movement (SNHU GEM) community found time for celebration and connection. SNHU GEM Executive Director Rachael Sears visited Türkiye and Rwanda to mark several milestone achievements with learners and in-country partners.
In Gaziantep, Türkiye, SNHU GEM partner Multi Aid Programs (MAPs) is now enrolling refugee learners in their associate and bachelor’s degree programs. During this recent visit, learners led insightful conversations about their higher education journeys, their successes and challenges, and their plans for life after graduation.
In Rachael’s discussions with SNHU GEM and MAPs students, learners demonstrated their resilience and commitment to education. Their stories highlighted the critical importance of access to higher education for refugees who have navigated immense challenges including displacement across multiple countries, food and housing insecurity, and other priorities. Witnessing their unwavering determination to complete their degrees and seeing their success in spite of these obstacles is a testament to the incredible potential and drive that lies within every refugee learner.
In Türkiye, Rachael met with representatives from the the UN Refugee Agency, the UN International Organization for Migration, and other partners to discuss how higher education institutions can support education and access to opportunities for refugees and the shared commitment to achieving UNHCR’s goal of 15% of refugee enrollment in higher education by 2023.
In Kigali, Rwanda, Rachael joined the Kepler College and SNHU GEM community to celebrate Kepler College’s 20th Anniversary. This year also marked a decade of successful partnership between Kepler College and SNHU GEM. Together, SNHU GEM and Kepler have opened the doors to higher education and career pathways for hundreds of displaced learners in Rwanda.
Longtime partnerships with in-country organizations like MAPs and Kepler College are central to SNHU GEM’s work and impact across Africa and the Middle East. Their wraparound academic and livelihood supports for learners enable them to complete their education and find employment in the global workforce.
Rachael also joined the Kepler College community to celebrate the graduating Class of 2024. The new graduates are well poised for success, with the hands-on skills needed to make meaningful contributions in the global workforce. More than 90% of SNHU GEM and Kepler graduates are employed within 6 months of graduation and go on to earn 30 – 50% higher salaries than the national average.
We are so proud of this incredible group of students, and are looking forward to watching them transform lives at scale. Congratulations, graduates.
