Team KLM gathered in Santa Barbara over the weekend of October 11th to run a 10k in support of KLM students. This annual event brings together long-standing supporters of KLM and new friends. As we approach our 20th anniversary year in 2025, we celebrate the long-standing tradition of this race weekend — which has been held in many locations over the years, from Sabie South Africa, to Lake Geneva Wisconsin, to Healdsburg CA, and now to our current home in Santa Barbara. Our amazing supporters raised over $65,000 to support KLM students in the academic year ahead. Thank you to our dedicated Board of Directors, our runners, our donors, and our champions!
Blessing M. Earns Top Honors, Accepted to UJ
Congratulations to KLM Scholar, Blessing M., who will graduate from Uplands in December and has been accepted to the University of Johannesburg to study Architecture. This month, valediction ceremonies were held at Uplands to recognize the achievements of graduating seniors. Blessing was awarded top honors in two subjects - music and Zulu language studies. This was a proud moment for Blessing’s family, who were in attendance at the valediction ceremonies to see Blessing honored by school leaders, teachers, and peers. We are so proud of Blessing’s 5-year journey at Uplands. He has worked so hard to earn the bright future ahead of him!
2025 KLM Scholars Selected!
Congratulations to Xoliswa and Letho as they begin their KLM journeys in January of 2025!
Siphesihle and Thubelihle Earn Spots on Provincial Rugby Team - In Grade 9
18 months ago, Thubelihle and Siphesihle – twins brothers from the rural Vutselani Primary School and 2023 recipients of the KLM scholarship – had never touched a rugby ball. But during their first weeks on campus and starting their 8th grade year, both boys picked up a rugby ball and never looked back. They have a thrilling and rare natural talent for the sport, which has catapulted them after just one year onto the Mpumalanga Provincial Rugby Team. As scholar-athletes, they boys are juggling a lot of responsibility. But their passion for rugby only grows. At KLM, we are enormously proud of the boys’ success, but perhaps no one is more proud than the boys’ mother, Hlengiwe, who says “I’m grateful every day for KLM. My boys are so happy with rugby and at school. I will never miss a game!”.
KLM Scholars Visit Johannesburg Firms, Exploring Careers Options
Each July, current KLM scholars in Grades 11 and 12, along with recent alumni in their first years at university, join a week-long ‘career explorations’ visit to Johannesburg organized by our generous partners at Lombard Insurance. Students have the opportunity to meet with over a dozen professionals from a wide variety of fields to learn about different career paths in business, finance, insurance, law, and tech. Students participate in round-table discussions with leading professionals, and have the opportunity to explore what it means to pick a career pathway and what subjects they must pursue at university to achieve their goals. The KLM Board of Directors expresses sincere thanks to the inspiring professional mentors who generously donate their time to share their personal stories with KLM students. This kind of exposure broads the horizon of opportunity for KLM students and sparks new thinking about career pursuits.
Lindokuhle, Grade 8 KLM Scholar, Selected to Uplands Debate Squad
Just 6 months into her tenure as a KLM student at Uplands, Lindokuhle has been selected to represent the Uplands College Debating Squad at the Mpumalanga Schools’ Provincial Debating Tournament. This is an incredible achievement for an 8th grader - new to the school, and new to the art of debate! Lindo hadn’t been exposed to extracurricular activities like debate until she began exploring the options available to her at Uplands during her first semester. Much to her delight, Lindo found she had a natural talent for public speaking and was drawn toward the art of constructing a position and debating the merits of her argument. Debate has helped Lindo feel confidence in her abilities as she navigates her first year as a KLM Scholar. Congratulations to Lindo on this remarkable achievement!
Wisani Participates in "The Journey", a Signature Outdoor Experiential Learning Opportunity for Grade 10 Students at Uplands
The Journey is a foundational part of the Uplands College curriculum; many students consider it a rite of passage - a one-week outdoor learning experience, during which the Grade 10 class hikes through the Drakensburg Mountains, pushing themselves mentally and physically at a critical point in their adolescence. Students participate in creative writing, group reflection, nature study, and community building. This year, KLM’s Wisani will embark on her “Journey” - an exciting opportunity to grow, and to reflect on her past, present and future. We wish you good luck on your Journey, Wisani!
Zethu and Sanele Accepted to Top Universities
We are so proud of the achievements of Zethu L. and Sanele M., who graduate from Uplands College this month and embark on tertiary studies at two of South Africa’s top universities. In January, Zethu will head to the University of Cape Town to study analytics and data science, and Sanele will join the student body at the University of Pretoria, pursuing a degree in radiology. These two remarkable young women have distinguished themselves over 5 years at Uplands, each earning accolades for academic excellence, extracurricular achievements, and their contributions to the Uplands community. We congratulate Zethu and Sanele!
2024 KLM Scholars Announced
We are so thrilled to welcome Lindokhule and Ryan to the KLM family! Congratulations and best of luck as you begin your journey at Uplands.
KLM Board Members Visit South Africa
Earlier this month, KLM Board members Bowen Hsu, Allison Howard-Berry, Dale Mosier, and Anne Harris travelled to Mpumalanga and Johannesburg to visit with KLM Foundation students, alumni, staff, and partners. On May 8, KLM hosted a reception in White River for a broad range of KLM friends and stakeholders including: Uplands College Board members, Uplands teachers, school principals from partner rural schools in KLM’s catchment areas, and local alumni. Most importantly, Board members had the opportunity to spend time with the 10 current KLM students enrolled at Uplands - new 8th graders through soon-to-be-graduating 12th graders. We learned about their experiences at Uplands, favorite teachers and classes, challenges faced and overcome, and hopes for the future.
Join Us in Santa Barbara, October 1, 2022
Calling all Friends of KLM! We hope you can join our annual dinner and fundraising event in Santa Barbara the weekend of Sept 30th and October 1st. We’ll host our annual road race on the morning of October 1st, followed by an evening wine reception and hosted dinner at Loquita. It will be a wonderful and inspiring weekend and we hope you can join us! Please be touch for more information about how to register.
7th Annual Healdsburg Charity Run for KLM!
Friends of KLM, it’s time for the 7th annual Healdsburg 1/2 Marathon and 10k, happening Saturday, October 26th in beautiful Sonoma, CA! As usual there are three options for participating: 1) run the 1/2 marathon 2) run the 10k 3) don’t run at all and just wine taste and come support KLM!
Please come out, get some exercise for a great cause, learn more about KLM and have a few glasses of wine before you celebrate Halloween. It's a beautiful weekend to be in Napa / Sonoma, the course winds through some beautiful wineries and the wine is always good.
Details:
Date: Saturday October 26, 2019
Time: 7:30 (1/2 Marathon ) / 8:30 a.m. (10k) - 1 p.m
Location: Healdsburg (Sonoma, CA)
Website: www.hallowinerun.com
2nd KLM All Student Reunion
Bowen and Allison just got back from a whirlwind trip to South Africa for the second all student reunion in White River South Africa. We were thrilled to have 17 current and former students attending the weekend for workshops for preparing for college and careers (and of course, some general fun). We were are also very happy to see a number of KLM stakeholders and supporters from the last 15 years! Of particular note was the great and growing collection of KLM alumni who are at great universities and starting great careers. Not only have they been successful personally and professionally, they are wonderful people who are eager to mentor the next generation of KLM students. We are lucky to be associated with them.