The African Leadership Academy seeks to enroll the most outstanding young leaders from across Africa and around the world – ALA is not only looking for young people who are smart and excel in the academic environment, we are looking for young people with the potential to lead and impact the world around them through their courage, initiative and innovation. You may also nominate a young leader, a special young woman or man between 16-19 who has shown leadership potential in your community. Selection Process: ALA’s application and selection process is very rigorous to ensure that we select the most outstanding students from across Africa with the potential to drive change.  The process is as follows: First Round September - March The Academy receives approximately 2,500 first round applications from 44 African countries each year. These applicants come from a wide range of social, economic, cultural & educational backgrounds. The application includes short questions and essays and must be submitted with academic transcripts. Final Round  March - April At this stage approximately 400 finalists are selected to attend Selection Weekends held across the continent. At these events, finalists write entrance exams, participate in group activities & are interviewed one-on-one by friends of ALA who attend the event as observers. Finalists also complete a final round application which includes essays & teacher recommendations. Selection May - June The hardest part of the selection process: the Academy is able to select only ~100 students from the pool of extraordinary finalists to attend the Academy. All finalists are notified of their admissions status by end of June. Click here to learn more: http://www.africanleadershipacademy.org/finding-future-leaders/applying-ala/steps