Sub-Saharan African Immigrants in the United States

Slightly more than 2 million immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa lived in the United States in 2018. While this population remains small, representing just 4.5 percent of the country’s 44.7 million immigrants, it is a rapidly growing one. Between 2010 and 2018, the sub-Saharan African population increased by 52 percent, significantly outpacing the 12 percent growth rate for the overall foreign-born population during that same period.

There were very few sub-Saharan Africans in the United States just a few decades ago, with under 150,000 residents in 1980. Since then, immigrants from some of the largest sub-Saharan countries, such as Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Somalia, and South Africa, have settled in the United States. Overall, more than 2 million immigrants have come from the 51 countries that comprise sub-Saharan Africa, making up 84 percent of the 2.4 million immigrants from the entire African continent. The remainder are from the six countries of North Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, and Tunisia. MORE

Angela Okafor, who has a law degree from her home country of Nigeria and passed the New York bar exam, opened an immigration law practice three years ago.

Last month, Okafor made history in the larger community: The attorney and small-business owner became the first immigrant and black elected as a councilor in the small, overwhelmingly white city. Okafor’s election is part of a growing wave of women of color who are running for political office, and winning.

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Témoignages. La clé d’une expatriation réussie au Canada : “se prendre en main”

Travailler au Canada, c’est la promesse d’un cadre de vie privilégié et d’un marché de l’emploi dynamique… Pour autant, s’adapter au Canada et à sa culture demande un réel effort pour un Français.

Ces dernières années, le Canada est devenu une destination incontournable pour l’expatriation des Français. Avec environ 100 000 Français actuellement inscrits sur les registres consulaires, la communauté française au Canada a plus que doublé depuis le début du siècle. C’est pourquoi nous nous sommes rendus à l’édition 2019 de Destination Canada, un forum qui permet à des futurs candidats français à l’immigration de rencontrer des institutions, des expats français et des employeurs canadiens.

Nous y avons rencontré Dorra Gdoura, responsable des services d’aide aux immigrants au collège La Cité à Ottawa (Ontario) et Carine Ouedraogo, agente de communication au Conseil du développement économique des territoires du Nord-Ouest, jeune active. Très sollicitées sur leurs stands, elles ont eu la gentillesse de répondre à nos questions sur la vie des expats français au Canada, et les préparatifs nécessaires pour faire de l’expatriation une réussite.

D’emblée, Dorra Gdoura prévient : “L’immigration, ce n’est pas facile, c’est un choix de vie. Et quand on fait des choix, il faut les assumer.” Ainsi gère-t-elle le programme ConnexionsFrancophones.ca, qui accompagne les immigrants francophones déjà acceptés au Canada dans leurs démarches et leur intégration. En effet, quand on envisage de s’expatrier au Canada, il faut penser à la préparation en amont, à la recherche d’emploi, mais aussi à l’intégration dans le pays d’accueil.

Se préparer

Dorra Gdoura est persuadée qu’une bonne préparation est la clé d’une SUITE

Harvard accepts 895 early admission applicants

Women comprise 51.7 percent of the Class of 2024 so far, with more than ever headed for a concentration in the sciences.

Harvard accepted 895 students to the Class of 2024 today from a pool of 6,424 who applied under the early action program, with additional candidates slated to be admitted in March as part of the regular-decision process.

Views of diverse students leaving class outside the Northwest Labs in Autumn. Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer

“We are excited about the many accomplishments of this group, and we are enormously grateful to the faculty, students, and alumni who helped to attract these extraordinarily talented students to Harvard,” said William R. Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions and financial aid.

Women comprise 51.7 percent of those admitted thus far, compared with 51.2 percent last year and 47.2 percent two years ago. “This is an encouraging result, and certainly a long way from the 4-to-1 male-to-female ratio of decades ago,” said Fitzsimmons. “Continued increases in the percentages of women interested in the physical sciences, engineering, and computer science bode well for the future, especially in the light of the opening of the new facility for the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) this fall.” MORE

Meet Wesley Lainé, Sciences Po Law School and @Harvard_Law graduate.

From Haïti to America to Sciences Po

I was born and grew up in Port-au-Prince in Haiti. I had the opportunity to pursue my studies in the United States, and after having obtained my bachelor’s in political science and then a master’s international politics, I decided to apply to the school that I had dreamt of attending as a child: Sciences Po.

To Serve Better

Stories of people committed to public purpose and to making a positive difference in communities throughout the country.

“If you’re at an elite private school or a magnet public school where the norm is going to a four-year college, then you can basically just follow the current,” she said. “But if that’s not the norm, you’re left to discover it on your own,” as school staff are often overstretched, and family and friends may not have the time or firsthand knowledge to provide much guidance.

And that’s the reason Wheeler founded the Harvard Club of Seattle’s Crimson Achievement Program (CAP) in 2018. The initiative helps illuminate the path to college for high-potential ninth- and 10th-graders from Western Washington school districts in low-income areas. MORE

Nigerians are spending half a billion dollars to school in the United States

The rot in Nigeria’s educational system is costing the country hundreds of millions of dollars.

Over the past academic year, the economic impact of spending by Nigerian students studying in the United States reached $514 million, data from the Institute of International Education shows. The figure outstrips the economic impact of students from France, Germany and the United Kingdom in the US.

Keeping in trend with a long-standing preference for seeking education abroad, Nigeria was the only African country ranked among the top 25 origin countries for international students in the US over the past year. MORE

Pour une lettre de motivation réussie…

5 conseils pour réussir votre lettre de motivation

Vous souhaitez intégrer Sciences Po en 2020 ? Première étape de votre parcours du candidat, le dossier, et notamment sa pièce maîtresse : la lettre de motivation. Avant de vous lancer, quelques conseils et rappels utiles pour venir à bout de cet exercice. 

Il était une fois…vous : racontez une belle histoire

Qu’est-ce qui vous donne envie d’avoir un impact sur le monde ? À Sciences Po, nous recherchons des candidats qui souhaitent transformer leur talent en pouvoir d’agir. En racontant dans votre lettre une histoire personnelle, vous éclairez vos motivations, attestez de votre engagement et donnez du sens à votre candidature.

Votre lettre est à vous et à personne d’autre

Bien sûr, il est toujours bénéfique de demander un avis extérieur sur votre lettre. Mais ne multipliez ni les relecteurs, ni les révisions : si quelques ajustements peuvent améliorer l’ensemble, des changements trop nombreux peuvent dénaturer votre texte et au final lui faire perdre tout authenticité. Or, vous êtes la personne la mieux placée pour connaître et évoquer vos talents et vos compétences. Vous devez vous retrouver dans la version finale de la lettre, et en être fier. N’oubliez pas que, si vous êtes admissible et que vous allez à l’oral, vous devez pouvoir parler et commenter chaque mot sans difficulté.

All the Africans on the 2019 ‘TIME 100 Next’ list

The new TIME 100 Next list features rising stars from all over the world shaping the future of business, entertainment, sports, politics, science, health and other sectors.

“Although this focus lends itself to a younger group, we intentionally had no age cap — a recognition that ascents can begin at any age. The TIME 100 Next members all have grand ambitions, and they know they may face even greater setbacks. But by and large, ‘they are driven by hope.’ They are eager to defy the odds — and fight for a better future,” the magazine says.

The 2019 list pays homage to eight people from Africa. They are: MORE