Allan Gray Orbis Foundation: A Life-Changing Opportunity for Young Leaders

Hello everyone, and welcome to I Know You Know, your one-stop knowledge-sharing platform for all things careers, life after high school, and opportunities available to you. If you’re returning, thank you for coming back and for sharing—this community wouldn’t be growing without you. If you’re new, welcome! Take a moment to watch my previous videos to get to know the channel better.

Today, I’m excited to share something very special. About two weeks ago, I graduated from the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation, and it has been an incredible journey. In this post, I’ll explain what the foundation is, how it came about, highlight some of its programs, and share my personal experience as a candidate fellow.

What is the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation?

The Allan Gray Orbis Foundation is a philanthropic organization that identifies young people with the potential to become high-impact individuals and supports them in achieving their dreams. The foundation equips its candidates with:

An entrepreneurial mindset
Entrepreneurial skills
Personalized support for their goals and journeys

The foundation supports three main groups:

Scholars – High school students (I’ll cover this in a future video).
Candidate Fellows – University students (the focus of this discussion).
Fellows – Graduates of the candidate program who maintain a lifelong connection to the foundation, gaining access to resources, networks, and mentorship for life.

The Vision Behind the Foundation

Mr. Allan Gray recognized that South Africa and the continent needed high-impact leaders. To nurture them, young people would require long-term support, time, patience, and investment. His vision was to cultivate a generation of entrepreneurial leaders who would drive economic and social transformation, embody initiative, determination, and excellence, and serve as role models for others.

Candidate Fellow Program

The Candidate Fellow Program is a four-year program running alongside university studies. It focuses on three areas of support:

1. Academic Support

The foundation covers:

Tuition at one of eleven partner universities
Books, tutoring, accommodation, meals
A monthly stipend

2. Entrepreneurial Development

Each candidate fellow works with an Entrepreneurial Leadership Officer (ELO) four times a year to discuss their entrepreneurial journey. Fellows also attend seminars, workshops, and speaking engagements designed to develop entrepreneurial skills and mindset.

3. Personal Development

Each fellow is paired with a Personal Leadership Officer who guides discussions on academics, personal growth, and self-awareness. Fellows become part of a community of like-minded, high-impact individuals and gain mentorship from industry-specific professionals in their third and fourth years.

The Four-Year Curriculum

The program is divided into four stages:

Engage (Year 1) – Develop an entrepreneurial mindset and engage with the community.
Equip (Year 2) – Build frameworks to bring solutions to life sustainably and strategically.
Explore (Year 3) – Understand your position in the world and where you want to make an impact.
Experience (Year 4) – Plan your next steps after university and set strategies for your future.

The program encourages reflection, strategic thinking, and personal growth, helping fellows navigate both their entrepreneurial and personal development journeys.

How to Apply

The application process is rigorous and involves:

Filling out an application form from the foundation’s website
Attending an interview
Participating in a multi-day camp with activities, challenges, and assessments

Successful candidates are then notified and begin the challenging but rewarding four-year journey.

My Personal Experience

Being part of the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation was affirming and transformative. It showed me that my dreams matter and that there is support to help me achieve them. The foundation helped me:

Develop an entrepreneurial mindset
Learn about entrepreneurship and personal growth
Connect with amazing, high-impact individuals
Attend inspiring events and workshops

The challenges I faced included maintaining academic standards and balancing university with the foundation’s curriculum and activities. Despite these challenges, the program was life-changing, helping me grow into the person I am today.

Who Should Apply?

The foundation is open to students who are in matric or in the first year of university at one of the partner universities. This is an incredible opportunity to grow, gain support, and become a high-impact individual.

Please share this information with anyone who could benefit from this amazing program and help more young people achieve their dreams.

Do High School Subject Choices Matter?

Hello everyone, and welcome back to I Know You Know, your one-stop knowledge sharing platform for all things careers, life after high school, and opportunities available to you. Thank you so much for tuning in to this video. Please continue to share, comment, like, and subscribe, because that’s how we’ll grow the community.

Today’s video is about whether or not subject choices in high school matter. In South Africa, when you get to Grade 9, you must choose subjects to carry into your FET phase (Grades 10–12). Many students find this difficult, partly because they worry whether their subject choices will limit their opportunities beyond school, or if they’ll be sufficient for what they might want to do after matric.

So, do high school subjects matter? The short answer is yes and no.