Shawn Mwenje

21 years old, attending the University of Cambridge.   Shawn was awarded a Beacon Scholarship in May 2020.

Shawn is studying towards a BA in Architecture at Lucy Cavendish College. He secured an internship at Boogertman Architects, a prestigious Kenyan firm, for the summer.

Outside his studies, Shawn has kept up with regular gym workouts, attending 3 or 4 times a week. He also participated in the college football team earlier in the year. He minted two digital art collections of six pieces, selling one, and has some art in the architectural society exhibition. He illustrated the cover of a Canadian journal about enforced child soldiers.

Shawn was a Student Ambassador for the Architecture Department on their Open Day and participated in the Student Lived Experience Project, researching how the university can improve the experiences of students from under-represented backgrounds. He has scripted, filmed, edited and published videos on YouTube.

Beacon Workshop Participation

Shawn’s 2022 Summer Beacon Citizenship Project was about organising painting workshops at the Mituini Hope Centre, giving the children there a creative outlet and a sense of educational achievement.

In Leadership Workshops, Shawn has shown himself to be good at critical thinking, an active participant and very resourceful. As a team leader, he is willing to challenge ideas from team members, checking back on them later.