an Entity of Abaarso Network

Personal Development

Advising

Barwaaqo believes in the academic, personal and ethical development of our students. Outside of the classroom, we provide each student with a faculty advisor, who is tasked with getting to know the student on a personal level and providing 1:1 coaching, to support students’ ethical leadership development. 

 

The purpose of these sessions is to offer more personal support, be a voice of reason for the students, offer extra academic support where necessary and be the faculty liaison for the students should they require any support from admin. If students are struggling in their personal lives, due to family stressors, mental health challenges, or interpersonal issues on-campus, the faculty advisor will also provide emotional support, advice and connect the students to the proper programing to support her. 

 

We also offer bi-weekly character development workshops where we discuss tips for self-improvement, self-regulation, and holding oneself accountable for their actions. Barwaaqo students also get a chance to participate in extracurricular activities such as sports and clubs for their first two years on campus.

Extracurricular Activities

All Barwaaqo students participate in a minimum of two years of extracurricular programming. These may include sports, clubs, or community service teaching. Some popular clubs over the past few years have included African Affairs, Entrepreneurship Club, or the Young Initiatives Club, which is dedicated to using Design Thinking Principles to solve problems on Barwaaqo’s campus. 

Our extracurricular programming is designed to develop students’ critical thinking skills, their personal confidence, and to deepen ties between students, and between the student body and faculty. 

Many students choose to participate in these clubs past their minimum two year requirement.

Houses and House Presidents

Students are sorted into four residential houses. They live in community with their house, and meet weekly to discuss areas of concern for students, as well as partake in personal development workshops and initiatives to improve the university. 

Each house is led by a House President, elected to represent the students to the university. House Presidents typically represent the best of Barwaaqo students – she will be a third or fourth year student, who has demonstrated exceptional personal and professional leadership skills. House Presidents often serve as mentors to younger students, and regularly conduct ad hoc workshops to support student development in areas of need identified by faculty. House Presidents are also the main point of contact for university leadership and are tasked with raising issues around student life, helping the faculty resolve conflict, and otherwise making Barwaaqo a nice place to live. 

When students arrive at Barwaaqo, they are sorted into the Culture, Academics, Social or Wellness House. Each of these houses takes care of parts of campus, and will at times put on programming for the rest of the school to better serve their unique area of campus.

Support Services

Students have a range of support services available to them, all designed to support their journey towards being strong, professional women. 

 

Computer Lab: Barwaaqo has two computer labs, each with 24 laptops. These labs are regularly open to students throughout the day, so that each student is able to study, learn and complete assignments. 

 

Library: Barwaaqo’s library provides students access to English-language reading material at their English level. Students who are just beginning their English learning journey will find low-level books, while students in their faculty courses may check out reference books, popular non-fiction or other sources to support their courses. 

 

Tutoring: If a student is struggling in a course, she may request a personal or small group tutor. Faculty advisors and professors are also able to recommend that a student be provided a tutor. These small groups meet regularly, providing students the targeted support they need to succeed in their courses. 

 

Character Development Workshops: Barwaaqo faculty provide bi-weekly character development workshops, modeled off the CASEL framework for socio-emotional learning. Through these workshops, students are trained to be better in touch with their emotions, make better decisions, and treat others more gently. 

 

Study-Skills Workshops: In a students’ first semester at Barwaaqo, she will typically be enrolled in a study-skills workshop. This is taught in her native language, and is designed to provide her the note-taking, personal advocacy, and technology skills to be successful at Barwaaqo. The content of this workshop may vary as professors and House Presidents provide feedback on areas of weakness for the incoming cohort of students.