For a select group of young people, January is an exciting and suspenseful time. Last fall, aspiring students to the Nehemiah Gateway University class of 2022, nominated by a handful of carefully vetted partner humanitarian organizations in Africa and Latin America, turned in their applications for admission.

Nehemiah Gateway University staff has reviewed all the applications and recently sent out invitations for interviews. These initial interviews are intended to allow Nehemiah Gateway’s staff to get to know the applicants and get a sense of their comfort with English—the language of all classes at the University. After this, the admissions committee will hold further in-person individual and group interviews, including, where possible, role plays and team games that will show the applicants’ ability to work with others.

Shortly after these interviews, the committee will decide which applicants to accept into the program. Executive Director Arlinda Merdani, who has interviewed countless applicants in her role as director of the international scholarship program, says that “the decisive factor is the potential we see in the individual human being.”

One of the current group of applicants says “I feel nervous, but with faith at the same time.”

The generous support of Nehemiah Gateway's donors makes it possible for the students who are ultimately selected to have a great experience at NGU, where, as members of a dynamic, multicultural team, they will receive mentorship and training that will help them to truly realize their potential to help others.