This year’s U.S.–Africa STEM exchange was launched with critical support from the Syracuse Inner City Rotary, which introduced a new mentorship initiative connecting Syracuse-area high school students with international peers and STEM professionals. The program provided guidance to students throughout the exchange and aims to expand in 2026 to include virtual collaborative projects in engineering and environmental science. This effort is part of Rotary Is Strengthening the Intellects of the Next Generation (RISING), which continues to empower youth through global learning and leadership.
Through RISING, two standout students participated in transformative international STEM experiences:
Tavonga Musariri, a high school student from Milestone College in Zimbabwe who represented GENIUS Olympiad Zimbabwe, earned a sponsorship of $2,353 to compete in the International GENIUS Olympiad this June at Rochester Institute of Technology. She will also receive a $12K/year scholarship to RIT if she chooses to matriculate. Her U.S. adventures included not only the competition but also trips to Niagara Falls and New York City. Tavonga has also received outstanding honors in Zimbabwe, Italy, and China for her robotics work!
Thomas Yu, a rising sophomore at Allendale Columbia School in Rochester, NY, who represented the Terra Fairs of New York State, earned a Gold Medal for his research at the Africa Science Buskers Festival in Harare, Zimbabwe this July. He spoke to the enthusiastic Highlands Rotary Club in Harare, the Unbounded Program for girl leaders in Gweru, and Tavonga’s school, met with the Program Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Harare, toured both Great Zimbabwe and Scenicon (the science exploration center opening next month in Nyanga), and gave a formal welcome to hundreds at Buskers at their Opening Ceremony.
For more information, please contact RISING at mewood@terraed.org.