Florence Ongaya (Class of 2025, Kenya) dreamed of the opportunity to receive a university education since she was a child. Still, she never imagined that life would take her to Costa Rica to become an Agricultural Engineer. Many things happened before she achieved her dream: she learned to plant alongside her mother to feed her six siblings with their own crops; she studied agriculture at a specialized high school; and she fought throughout her childhood and teenage years to have access to education in a community with few opportunities, especially for women and girls.
One day she heard about EARTH University and decided to apply. A few months later, she was accepted, she won a full scholarship to be part of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, and she was running from one place to another to connect to the virtual classes of the Spanish Language and Cultural Induction Program, before traveling to Guácimo to complete that first part of her journey at our University. Learning Spanish was a challenge, but when she arrived on campus, she encountered other African students who were also adapting to a language with many accents, a hot and humid climate, a diet based on rice and beans, and a completely different culture. Knowing that she was understood by other young people from the same continent made her feel stronger, accompanied, and secure.
Today, Florence is the president of the African Students Union (ASU), a student group that provides support in their adaptation and integration process, their professional growth, and their commitment to being dignified Africa representatives. The group is made up of around 80 students from the four academic years and includes more than 15 countries including Ghana, Rwanda, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.
“Although we have many differences between African countries, we also have many things in common. We all come to EARTH with the hope of improving our countries’ living conditions. Our main goal is to save Africa’s future. Having that same goal keeps us united. We must work together because one person alone cannot do it. We help each other by knowing that only in this way we will generate a big and real impact because if one country develops or has the solution to a problem, that will help the neighboring country,” says Florence.
The African Students Union has 13 representatives responsible for organizing activities such as integration events for new students, recreational activities where they cook traditional dishes to integrate different countries, and spaces to showcase African cultural richness within the EARTH community or in other parts of Costa Rica. Florence has been president for a year, and this leadership role has driven her to strengthen relationships among students. The selection process for representatives is subject to voting. It is, as Florence says, a democracy.
“Studying at EARTH is a privilege and a responsibility because we know we were selected from among hundreds of other applicants, but possibly only three or four people were accepted from my country. That’s why I believe we have to make sure we represent Africa well. I want us to leave a good path for those who come after us, to bring valuable tools and knowledge back home and to ask ourselves as a group: ‘what impact do we want to make on our continent? How are we going to make it possible?’” she adds.
We are proud to have a African diaspora; their presence and commitment are essential for EARTH’s multiculturality and for expanding our community’s worldview.
