Misco Mungai is the inaugural Program Director of the HALI Access Network, a coalition of nearly 40 organizations working to expand higher education access for high-achieving, low-income students across Africa. With over a decade of experience in youth development, program design, and education equity, Misco brings deep expertise and compassion to her work. She has supported student transitions to universities across the globe, and serves as a mentor and advocate within multiple global education communities.
In May, I travelled to Pittsburgh to attend DETcon, and the We Rise Together awards and Gala, where I was honored to receive the We Rise Together Award for Access. It is extra special to be given this award by Laura Kaub, my mentor and friend, who serves as the Director of the Duolingo University Access Program.
For those of us working in education access, particularly for low-income and marginalized students, it’s not easy to keep pushing the boundaries that we must push or to carve new pathways, often times where there is no precedent. It is particularly challenging to know just how talented our students are, and yet not have enough funded opportunities for them to continue with their university education.
But we know we must continue to support the students we are privileged to serve. So, thank you, Duolingo, for recognizing my contribution to this work.
My deepest gratitude goes to my colleagues at the HALI (High-Achieving, Low-Income) Access Network, who nominated me for this award. They are truly the champions and are on the ground supporting HALI African students to university and beyond.
The HALI Access Network is an association of 41 schools and non-profit organizations in 16 African countries working together to better prepare our students and to support them to access and thrive at international campus communities. In their preparation for admission, our students work very hard to make up for the opportunities they didn’t have in secondary school and their communities. They have to learn multiple skills, subjects and sometimes an additional language. I hope this award encourages our community to continue bridging gaps for our students, even in these very challenging times in higher education.
Duolingo has been a great supporter of our mission. Our network is privileged to have free access to DET tests for all students who need to certify their English proficiency. That removes a huge cost barrier for our students and makes the admissions process more accessible. I urge more universities to accept the DET test in their undergraduate and graduate applications because, truly, for many students in underresourced communities, DET is one of the most accessible English proficiency tests. And we have all heard the science and security protocols involved in the test, so we know it’s a credible test.
I am encouraged and inspired by the conversations and interactions we’ve had at this year’s DETCon. The DET Scholars have demonstrated to us sheer brilliance, resilience, and determination to make the very best of every opportunity they get. That is the spirit of HALI students across Africa. And so I hope that when we come knocking on your doors for opportunities for these students, you will open those doors and push boundaries on your end to hold space for them on your campuses. Thank you!