Access Point: Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
7,689 Miles from Fairfield
Kened Shilla ’28 dreamed of attending a university in the United States like his older siblings. But until last year, that dream did not include Fairfield University. Now, the graduate of Loyola High School in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, says there is no place he would rather be.
Arriving at Fairfield from the Swahili coast of East Africa with only two suitcases and two carry-on bags, Shilla wasted no time making the University his home away from home. For him, that meant building connections and community through common experiences. Mere weeks into his college career, he had already joined several student organizations – including the Black Student Union and the Ping Pong Club – and had attended his very first live music concert.
A first-year student in the College of Arts and Sciences, Shilla learned about Fairfield after a group of schoolmates and teachers from his Jesuit high school visited the Connecticut campus in the summer of 2023. During their visit, students attended workshops in computer science, math, writing, and educational technology, while teachers engaged in professional development and discussions about potential future academic collaborations.
“Upon their return, the students who traveled to Fairfield praised the University,” said Shilla. “They shared such wonderful things about their experiences that I was compelled to learn more about the school.”
The Fairfield visit that indirectly piqued Shilla’s interest was coordinated by the Center for Social Impact (CSI) and supported with generous funding from the Switzerland-based Benina Foundation. According to CSI Director Melissa Quan, EdD, the partnership goes back nearly 12 years and focuses on cultural exchange and support of shared mission. In recent years, academic technology and infrastructure development have been a priority.
“Because power outages are an enduring fact of life in Dar es Salaam, learning is frequently interrupted at schools that are dependent on the electrical grid,” Dr. Quan explained. “Through grant support, the Center for Social Impact has enabled Loyola to install solar panels and generate its own electricity. Learning and instruction now persist during blackouts.”
Having a reliable infrastructure in place encouraged teachers at Loyola to learn and use instructional technology in the classroom and permitted synchronous virtual connections between the two partner schools for workshops, planning, and professional development.
According to Shilla, it also improved student engagement in extracurriculars. A former member of Loyola’s Computer Science Club, he described how power outages used to hinder the club’s use of the school’s computer lab. “Members had to bring laptops with power banks from home,” he said. “This impacted club participation because not everyone owned a laptop.”
Shilla had the opportunity to meet students, faculty, and staff from Fairfield this summer, when Dr. Quan led a delegation to Dar es Salaam. The goal of the visit was to enhance and extend Fairfield’s partnership with Loyola High School and to see the results of their previous collaborations.
Having already been admitted to the University, Shilla was more eager than ever to speak with the visitors from Connecticut. “I had lots of questions about Fairfield,” he recalled. Fortunately, Dr. Quan proved an excellent resource.
Today, Shilla is one of 26 Company Scholars in the Class of 2028. The prestigious cohort-based scholarship program for which he was selected provides four years of full tuition and room and board. The Fairfield program, now in its third year, is aimed at high-achieving and traditionally underrepresented students from Jesuit and Cristo Rey schools.
“The Company Scholars program is very intentional to our Jesuit mission and identity,” said Karen Donoghue ’03, EdD, vice president of student life. “It not only upholds Fairfield’s sincere commitment to diverse populations and accessible education but also enriches our community by embracing exemplary students with unique gifts, talents, and perspectives.”
Since he arrived on campus, Shilla has met students from all over the globe, including Spain, China, and Mexico. He credits the Company Scholars program and the Office of Global Fairfield for shaping his experiences in this distinctive way and he deeply appreciates their respective roles in fostering a diverse community at the University.
Because the Company Scholars program aims to provide well-rounded experiences that inspire leadership and service among its participants, it also includes study abroad opportunities and mentorships with esteemed faculty and campus leaders. Shilla was thrilled to have Dr. Quan appointed as his mentor.
