Strategy 6 — The GI Scholars Network
Mobilizing the Brain Trust We Already Have
Our community has PhDs. We have full professors at major U.S. universities, postdoctoral researchers, deans, department chairs, and senior research scientists at national labs and pharmaceutical companies. We rarely organize them, almost never deploy them collectively, and never package their expertise as a programmatic offering for our members and students.
The GI Scholars Network changes that — and it is the engine that powers the Student Bridge program (Strategy 5).
Five Programs
1. GI Scholars Program
Scholarship pool for Kalenjin students attending U.S. universities. Each scholarship recipient is matched with a PhD-holding mentor from the GI Scholars Network. Mentor commits to 4 hours per quarter of direct mentorship. Scholarships sized at $1,500–$3,000 per student, funded primarily through Kenyan Night auction proceeds and dedicated workplace-giving designations.
2. Summer Lecture Series
Free virtual lectures by GI professors, hosted monthly during June, July, and August. Topics: STEM careers, business and entrepreneurship, healthcare pathways, law school preparation, navigating U.S. academia as an international student. Open to all GI members and their families.
3. University Partnerships
GI professors leverage their institutional relationships to negotiate formal partnerships with their universities. Outcomes: dedicated scholarship slots for Kalenjin students, paid internships, research opportunities, and tuition reductions where feasible.
4. Tutoring and SAT/ACT Preparation
Diaspora children — many of them U.S.-born to Kalenjin parents — get free tutoring and standardized-test preparation taught by our own graduate students and academics. Run virtually through Zoom. A real, practical benefit that makes membership tangible for parent-aged members who otherwise see Gotabgaa as just an annual gathering.
5. Research Grant Pipeline
GI professors tap their grant networks (NSF, NIH, private foundations) to fund research projects directly relevant to the diaspora — health disparities, immigration policy impacts, educational outcomes for African immigrants. Brings external research dollars into our community and elevates Gotabgaa's institutional profile.