Ascent Soccer’s first global scholar, Zobran Elias one year away from becoming a neurosurgeon

* He had made it known to staff at the academy that he had always wanted to be a neurosurgeon

* During his time at The Taft School of Connecticut, also represented the student body as their president during his senior year

* As well as playing a pivotal on the boys soccer team in which he earned his place for at the varsity

By Duncan Mlanjira

Zobran Elias, Ascent Soccer’s first export abroad as a college football player and scholar, is completing his junior year this April at the prestigious Trinity College in Hartford in the US — and is one year away from graduating with a degree in neuroscience to become a neurosurgeon.

After excelling so perfectly at Ascent Soccer, Zobran earned himself a scholarship in 2018 to Indian Mountain School for his early secondary school years before making the transition to the well-known private boarding school, The Taft School of Connecticut in Watertown.

A report on Ascent Soccer’s media platform, indicates that Zobran flourished during his time at The Taft, where he was pivotal on the boys varsity soccer team but also represented the student body as their president during his senior year.

In 2018, Zobran went on a scholarship to America where he excelled both in the classroom and on the football pitch earning him the prestigious ‘Davis Scholarship’ the scholarship The Taft School of Connecticut — one of America’s best academic and soccer institutions.

Now, with God’s speed, he is all set to realise his dream of becoming a doctor, which Ascent Soccer indicates that he had made it known to staff at the academy as he began his football journey at home in Lilongwe, saying he had always wanted to be Malawi’s neurosurgeon.

There are six native neurosurgeons in the country, whose first was late Dr. Andrew George Nga Mtafu, who went into politics at one point and served as a Cabinet Minister, but sadly lost his life in a tragic car accident on October 20, 2015.

Of the six native neurosurgeons available, four are at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH); Dr. Patrick Kamalo, Dr Leonard Chafewa, Dr Sithembile Chimaliro and Dr Davis Mpando; along with Dr Keller Kumwenda at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Lilongwe and Colonel Dr Geoffrey Ndekha of the Malawi Defence Force (MDF).

According to Dr. Patrick Kamalo, a product of Kamuzu Academy (1989-1995), both QECH and KCH have training programs for neurosurgeons.

Zobran’s remarkable performance and zeal in his academic pursuit, earned praise of Ascent Soccer’s co-founder, George Maguire, who didn’t hide his profound pride by saying in 2019 that Zobran’s story “highlights how much youth talent there is here in Malawi and what can happen if that talent is nurtured correctly”.

“We are proud of Zobran and have other players on a variety of pathways, some in education, some in soccer that will shine [over the years],” he had said.

And it came to pass as currently, there are six Malawian global scholars produced by Ascent Soccer — Zebron at Trinity College; followed by Lughano Nyondo, a graduate at Northeastern University Brooks School; Christina Kakhome at Lake Forest College and graduate of Milton Academy; Latu Kayira at Brooks School; and at Milton Academy Emmanuel Cheyo and the latest export, Daud Major, a speedy winger with an acumen for mathematics.

Lughano Nyondo was Ascent’s pioneer female global scholar, who is back to work in the offseason after a freshman campaign that saw her score twice and add an assist, reports the academy’s Media.

“Her journey from the dirt pitches of Mzuzu, to Ascent Soccer in Lilongwe, to Indian Mountain School in Connecticut, then Brooks School in Massachusetts, and now at Division I Northeastern University is inspiring young girls back home that anything is possible.”

Ascent’s vision remains; “to guide youth to realise and reach their potential, growing into exceptional young men and women who not only re-invest in their own communities, but provide opportunities for the success of future graduates”.

The academy has had a very successful 2024 showcasing its talents that include participating at the Rey Cup in Iceland, where they went to defend the title they won in 2023; played friendlies against top sides in Ireland; had its talent representing Malawi’s youth and senior national teams.

Several of its players were in the Malawi Scorchers squad, which won their first-ever international title, the Council for the Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) Women’s Championship 2023.

From her exploits at the international stage through the COSAFA Women’s Championship 2023, Rose Kadzere earned herself a contract to play for Montpellier Hérault Sport Club in France’s top women division.

The two-time Malawi Player of the Year, signed a three-year deal, making her Malawi’s first-ever player (male or female) to make a direct professional football move to one of Europe’s top five leagues.

In May 2024, Kadzere was nominee for the Female Emerging Talent Award at the inaugural COSAFA Awards, after she starred for the Scorchers, nominated alongside fellow Ascent Soccer product, Leticia Kanyamula, who won the award.

Ascent U-21 girls also became the first youth team ever to compete in an adult/senior Champions League event during the CAF Champions League-COSAFA qualifier, which Football Association of Malawi hosted.

They earned the place in the qualifiers after their stunning victory in May 2024 during the Malawi’s Senior Women’s National Championship under the tutelage of head coach and operations director, Thom Mkolongo.

In July 2024, the Ascent Soccer U-16 girls became Malawi’s first full female squad (junior or senior) to ever play competitively in Europe, with Faith Chinzimu leading the way with nine goals in six games, versus the likes of Arsenal, Brighton, Bayern Munich and FC Nordsjaelland.

In December, the U-21 girls were crowned the MBC Digital Female Football Team of the Year award at MBC Entertainers of the Year 2024 awards.

Meanwhile, Ascent Soccer has recently established a state-of-the-art campus, complete with a Digital Learning Centre named after naming rights donor, Adaptavist — a modern learning and innovation space outfitted with new laptops, robotics and Lego STEAM education programming.

It also has a Library & Resource Centre and the ‘Seth Family’ Education Centre as well as a beautifully designed environmental sustainability structure, the Great Hall, made from bamboo — home to the academy’s nutrition centre, dining hall and event space.

The Appleyard Family Outdoor Education space is a new green education and permaculture space, which is real life academic hub that is set boast agricultural education.

It has two full grass football pitches and a 5-aside pitch, whose quality care of is an important piece of the youth soccer development, which starts at the grassroots, inspiring and nurturing talented girls and boys in Southeast Africa.

They are nurtured “to be brave, to lead by example and to believe in their ability to transform themselves, their communities and the world”. 

It’s motto is “to put people and the planet first” under 4 Pillars of ‘Soccer, Scholarship, People and Planet’ as the greenest soccer club and academy on the continent.

It is a social impact organisation that transforms the lives of young men and women in some of Southeast Africa’s poorest countries by providing opportunities for comprehensive education, critical life skills and character development — combined with world-class soccer skill development.

Based in Malawi, with registered charity operations in the USA and Canada, Ascent Soccer was founded in 2014 and works with over 85 boys and girls carefully selected from across Southeast Africa.

Apart from the global scholars from Malawi, others are from Zimbabwe (Edna Macuacua at Milton Academy); Uganda (Issa Abdu, a graduate of St. Andrews College in Canada, who is at Western University); his compatriot, Geoffrey Orgenrwot (also a graduate of St. Andrews College and is at Dickinson College”.

“Ascent’s vision is to guide youth to realise and reach their potential, growing into exceptional young men and women who not only re-invest in their own communities, but provide opportunities for the success of future graduates,” says the academy.