Student Profile
| Name: | Bwalya Kasanda |
| Gender: | Female |
| Date of birth: | 16th April 1995 |
| Place of birth: | Kapiri, Zambia |
| Mother: | Josephine Kasanda |
| Profession: | Sells Cement Blocks |
| Primary School: | Northmead Basic School |
Family Background:
Bwalya comes from a female-headed household. Her parents are divorced and she stays with a mother. The mother sells cement to take care of her and other four siblings. The business, however, has not been faring well and this has made the family to face many household evictions. The household properties portray a family that is struggling financially. Despite of this hard environment, Bwalya is a loyal member of her family and when not at school, she is always at home helping her mother with household chores.
Bwalya's Education:
Bwalya was such a dedicated student in primary school that she went for extra lessons on every Monday afternoon for an hour and a half. Throughout primary school, she has borrowed and shared books from her friends because she only could afford an English textbook. Because of her dedication and hard work, Bwalya was always above average in class. In the grade seven examinations, Bwalya earned herself the highest scores of all ten students on the KF scholarship. Social studies was her favorite subject at primary school.
At Leopards Hill Secondary School:
Now that she is in grade 8, Bwalya’s favorite subjects are environmental science, and mathematics. She earned seven “1’s” in her first examinations which means that in at least seven subjects she earned the highest mark. This isn’t surprising seeing that she spends more time studying than spending time in the dorms with the other girls. She is always at the top of her class, moving only between first and second position over the course of the year. For Bwalya, improving means getting scores above 90% instead of 80% in some of her subjects like history and civics. We can continue to expect great results from her.
At the 2008 Awards ceremony held at Leopards Hill Secondary School, Bwalya received awards for the 1st position in English, Mathematics, Science, and French. She received awards for 2nd position in Civics, Geography, History, Information Technology and Office Practice. She also received the Overall Best Academic Student Award for Grade 8.
Her mother noted that ever since Bwalya enrolled at Leopards Hill through the KF program, she has begun to study more frequently when she is at home. That is impressive seeing that this is done during the holidays.
Extracurricular Interests:
Bwalya loves singing in the school church choir. She is also involved in running, earning herself a third place position in an inter-house cross-country event. She is also on the school’s football and basketball teams.
Career Interests:
Bwalya wants to be an accountant like her father.
What Others Think of Her:
Bwalya is confident, mature, and determined. She is eloquent, and most who know her are impressed by her conduct and manner of speech. She is a very pleasant girl and is always smiling. In addition, Bwalya’s uncle describes her as “not easily influenced by friends, especially if what they are doing is bad.”
Bwalya's Thoughts:
“First and foremost, I would like to thank KF for granting me this scholarship. I am gaining a lot of benefits by being a KF member. I am experiencing a lot and I love the teaching they give here. The people around are so generous and kind, and the environment here is good.”