Scholarship Program
AISJ is committed to providing scholarships to South African students who would not ordinarily have the opportunity to attend AISJ due to financial constraints. Scholarship students receive full tuition, room, and board as well as a stipend to cover basic living expenses beginning in Grade 7 and continuing through Grade 12.
The AISJ Scholarship Program began in 1993. In 2003, the Board of Directors recognized the significant positive impact the program had on both the scholarship students and the AISJ community. To ensure the program’s continuation, the Board included the Scholarship Program in AISJ’s Strategic Policies, thus protecting the Scholarship Program as part of the institution. Also at that time, AISJ began its partnership with the Student Sponsorship Programme (SSP) - a non-profit trust that identifies high-potential high school students from low-income backgrounds and connects them with leading educational institutions in South Africa.
Today, a total of 17 scholarship students attend AISJ. Up to six scholarship students are admitted each year with an eye on keeping a gender balance in the program. Scholarship students begin in Grade 7 and continue through middle school and high school to earn their diploma from AISJ. They are expected to maintain a strong academic performance and participate in school activities. Scholarship students are well integrated into the AISJ community with support and guidance from teachers, counsellors, and administrators who are committed to these students being academically and socially successful.
STUDENT SPONSORSHIP PROGRAMME (SSP)
AISJ continues to partner with SSP who process and screen all scholarship applications.
Student Sponsorship Programme (SSP) is well into its second decade of identifying high potential young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and circumstances and affording them the opportunity to realise that potential in educational centers of excellence during their senior school years. This is achieved by a multi-tiered partnership – with generous donors, friends, and supporters; committed partner schools who co-fund and nurture the student; the dedicated staff of SSP; the child’s parents in supporting their child’s endeavours; and the most important partner, the student who must embrace the opportunity and fully invest themselves in the complete offering of these centres of excellence, our partner schools as well as availing themselves of all the assistance and mentoring that SSP provides concurrently.
In addition to the quality education and enrichment provided by our partner schools, SSP supports its students by assigning a Student Programme Officer and finding a corporate mentor for each student as well as running a parallel programme which focuses on leadership development, study skills, life skills, career guidance and assistance with applications for tertiary institutions and bursaries for further study.*Student Scholarship Programme Website; http://ssp.org.za/)
For more information on the process to be considered for a scholarship please visit http://ssp.org.za/index.php/application-process/
SCHOLARSHIP HOUSING
All scholarship students live on campus in the AISJ boarding house. A residential staff member oversees the students’ wellbeing and works with the students to develop a strong sense of community in the house. In the early days of the Scholarship Program, housing was provided at two different locations – the boys lived in the original boarding house on campus and the girls lived in another house near campus. After expanding the original house, the two groups were consolidated in 2007. The current boarding house was renovated in the winter of 2016 and there are plans for a new, expanded boarding house to be built in the coming years.
SUPPORT THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
AISJ strives to provide scholarship students with a world-class education and extracurricular experiences. Students at AISJ can choose to participate in wide variety opportunities across the Four Pillars - Academics, Athletics, the Arts, and Service Learning. While AISJ makes strong efforts to ensure that scholarship students are afforded the same opportunities as all AISJ students, these students can be limited by extra costs not covered by their scholarship.
AISJ welcomes gifts to the Scholarship Program from the AISJ community and outside donors who would like to help maximize scholarship students’ experiences and opportunities at AISJ. Choose how you would like to support the Scholarship Program:
To contribute to the Scholarship Program, please contact Elize Ramsay - Finance Manager: info@aisj-jhb.com. All donations and contributions are tax deductible.
MEET OUR SCHOLARSHIP ALUMNI
Thulani Mbatha, Class of 1998
After graduating from AISJ in 1998, Thulani earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Berea College and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the University of Tennessee. Thulani is now an international public health consultant. In 2011, Thulani relocated back to South Africa with his family to establish Kgololo Academy, a college preparatory school in his home in the Alexandra Township.
“My experience at AISJ as a scholarship student from Alexandra Township provided me with a strong foundation and changed the trajectory of my life. I can only hope that Kgololo Academy is able to do the same for our scholars”.
Jo Matake, Class of 2008
Jo Matake, Class of 2008, was the first AISJ/SSP student to receive a scholarship to study at a university in the United States where he continued to further his education and earn a Master’s Degree.
Busi Sibeko, Class of 2012
Busi Sibeko is an AISJ graduate of the class of 2012 and a former scholarship student. Busi came to AISJ half way through grade 7 from Tersia Learning Academy in Tembisa. She chaired 2012 Global Issues Service Summit hosted at AISJ for students from across Africa. This young leader captained the volleyball and basketball teams. Upon graduation, Busi was selected as a recipient for the Female Athlete of the Year, Ed Norman Leadership Award, Principal’s Award. One of Busi’s greatest achievements in high school was successfully summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro with the AISJ team. Busi graduated from AISJ with an International Baccalaureate diploma and a scholarship opportunity to attend Duke University in the United States.
Busi recently graduated as a part of the inaugural MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program class at Duke. With a strong interest in development economics, she obtained a BS Economics degree. During her undergraduate career, Busi’s passion for Africa lead to a semester abroad at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, UK. While at Duke she co-founded an organization called the Africa Conversations Club(ACC). The mission of ACC is to facilitate regular discourse amongst Duke undergraduates surrounding the social, political, and economic climate on the African Continent, through roundtable discussions. She recently spoke at AFRIx, a Tedx inspired event at Duke, on (De)constructing the African identity. Busi has interned for Advanced Capital, the Mandela Institute of Development Studies and most recently KPMG, all in Johannesburg, South Africa. Busi will be joining KPMG South Africa this fall, and she hopes to pursue a masters in development at SOAS. Her ultimate career aspiration is to create economic policies in South Africa that tackle the issues of the working poor.
Bonolo Ntlatleng, Class of 2013
My name is Bonolo Ntlatleng. I was a full International Baccalaureate diploma candidate at the American International School of Johannesburg in 2012-2013, and graduated in May 2013. I am 22 years old and live in Rabie Ridge, a township in Midrand, Johannesburg. With the assistance of the Student Sponsorship Programme (SSP), I had the privilege of attending one of the top schools in South Africa, the American International School of Johannesburg (AISJ). The procedure and selection process of attaining this full academic scholarship to go to AISJ was rigorous. Out of a total of 4000 applicants to the scholarship, only 77 were successful, and I was one of them. Being at AISJ truly unlocked my potential and made me realise that the world is my oyster. To this day, I speak of AISJ with immense honour and pride. Its diversity allowed me to travel to different parts of the world through mere conversations. Its extra-curricular program allowed me to fulfil my purpose and love for service to others. Its focus on learners individually made me feel valued as a student, which was something I did not have the privilege to experience prior to my time at AISJ. I was not just a number on that campus, I was Bonolo Ntlatleng. Moreover, its loving, considerate and diverse staff constantly affirmed my dreams and spent time reminding me of my ability to achieve them. It is for this reason that I continue to cite my experience at AISJ as my defining moment. It is here where I discovered my passions. Realised that my dreams are valid. Got to travel to different parts of the world for the first time, and realised that was okay to be crazy enough to think I can change the world. Today, I am a final year student at the University of Cape Town studying a Bachelor of Social Science in International Relations, Politics, and Economics. I am recipient of the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust Scholarship. I am an Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Candidate Fellow. I am a Resident Assistant at the Council on International Educational Exchange. I am all of these things and more because of SSP and AISJ’s investment in me. For that, I will be eternally grateful.
Zwelakhe Bhengu, Class of 2013
Zwelakhe Bhengu is an AISJ alumnus from the graduating class of 2013. Zwelakhe first heard of the Student Sponsorship Programme (SSP) scholarship opportunity through a classmate of his during his tenure as a primary school student at Meredale Primary School in the south of Johannesburg. Upon submitting an application, he was subsequently invited to partake in an exigent series of aptitude exams and interviews and recieved an offer to complete his primary and secondary school studies at the American International School of Johannesburg.
Having been afforded the opportunity to study at such a prestigious academic institution, Zwelakhe exploited all the offered resources that had been availed to him in order to further develop himself as a student and global citizen. During his tenure at the American International School of Johannesburg, Zwelakhe’s achievements included participating in several Johannesburg Model United Nations conferences, captaining the boys’ varsity volleyball team, and receiving the Male Athlete of the Year award during his senior year.
Zwelakhe graduated from AISJ with High Honors and currently is in his final year of the Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting Sciences Degree at the University of Pretoria with aims of qualifying for the prestigious Chartered Accountant of South Africa, CA(SA) designation. He is also signed to complete his Auditing clerk articles at Price Waterhouse Coopers, an accounting and auditing firm. Zwelakhe lists the scholarship opportunity to study at the American International School of Johannesburg as the most important inflexion point to date in his pursuit of academic and economic success.