US opens education centre in Calabar

The U.S. Mission in Nigeria on Friday opened a new EducationUSA Advising Center in Calabar, Cross River State.

The Calabar EducationUSA Advising Centre, hosted at the American Corner, 37 Ekpo Archibong Street, Calabar will offer accurate, unbiased, and comprehensive information about educational institutions in the United States, as well as guidance to prospective students on how best to access those opportunities.

Delivering keynote remarks during the opening ceremony, U.S. Mission Counselor for Public Affairs Aruna Amirthanayagam said the new EducationUSA Advising Centre presents an opportunity for the youth in local communities in Cross River State and its environs to obtain a world-class education in the United States and then return home to contribute to Nigeria’s economic growth and development.

We are very pleased to open an EducationUSA Advising Center in Calabar. The center offers a variety of free educational resources, including public information sessions, webinars, one-on-one, cohort advising and hands-on support for completing the U.S. college and university application process,” Amirthanayagam said. 

U.S. Consulate Public Affairs Officer, Stephen Ibelli added that EducationUSA Advising Centres in Nigeria assist many determined and talented, low-income students in Nigeria, who only require financial resources and access to information to better their educational future.

Ibelli noted that applications for the 2021/2022 EducationUSA Opportunity Funds Programme will open on April 15 until May 31, 2021, adding that applicants are welcome from all the states in Nigeria.

“In 2021, 19 high achieving, low-income students from Southern Nigeria received full scholarships totalling $2.17 million to attend American universities and colleges for the 2020/2021 academic session.  This feat was made possible through the Opportunity Funds Programme of our EducationUSA Advising Centre, with support from Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited,” Ibelli added. (Saturday SUN)