The excitment was overpowering. The joy evident in the face of this mother. Ms Monga is the mother to Banji and Pimpa Simasku, both children where graduating with a degree in Information Technology after four years of study at northrise university. The graduation ceremony was held at the Savoy Hotel in Ndola on the 25 of April 2009. It was an event that honored those who managed to make it through the rigourous and quality enriching Northrise University curriculum.

The beaming face of Ms Monga tells it all. The smile rediates the hope that Northrise is spreading through Ndola and indeed through our country zambia.

Thirteen Northrise University students and staff members stared at a white board and pressed open the small black notebooks just handed to them. Take notes, team. This is going to be a brilliant adventure.

That’s our hope. We are five media pros armed with Nikons, a newly designed blog, and a bit of passion. We are here to push open the window so the amazing faces drilling us with questions can give a shout out to a curious world. Our goal here is to get this group online. Jumpstart the sharing of their stories. Blogging weekly. “Blog” maybe a new concept for some of them, and a new beginning into a cyberworld that doesn’t know they exist. So, here we are. University board member Danny Ortega recruited this traveling group from Washington, California and Arizona. Justin Clark is our creative link, he leads our online mission. Chairman of the Board David Cheatham and Tony Elliott unload their Nikon knowledge to push the classroom beyond the basic point and shoot. Sabra Gertsch is the reporter onboard sharing storytelling techniques. Danny is the guy with the HD video camera framing up the shots and recording the voice of each student because their stories are about to be heard.

Four days in the classroom and we are the ones getting an education. Kanyanta, Duke, Agness, Maambo, Banji, Kambole, Isaac, Andrew, the Godfreys, Enock, Mwanga, Mukupa…you have amazing perspective and determination. It is our privilege to be visiting contributors to your creative development.

Graduation. Banana trees. Chickens. Mackenzie. Arthur Davison. Imagination. Creativity. Hope. Zambia. Northrise.

Audience, we hope you will stay tuned…

The Northrise University Initiative media team endeavored to travel to Africa, Zambia, Ndola in particular to Northrise University. For most of the team members, it was not the first time to travel to Zambia, Northrise. The mission that they have embarked on is important and can not be over emphasized.