From Ishahayi Beach to the World: Our Alumni Story

In 1997, when Lady Evangelist Dorcas Salami opened the doors of what was then called The Light Schools, few could have imagined where the children of Ishahayi Beach village would one day go.

Today, we know the answer: everywhere.

A legacy in numbers

More than 3,000 students have passed through our classrooms. Among them are engineers building Nigeria’s infrastructure, medical practitioners caring for the sick, and business people creating jobs and opportunity. Over 500 documented success stories — each one beginning in the same place: a school built on the conviction that the best education should never be a privilege of the few.

The partnership that carried the dream

In 2005, our founder met Mrs. Andrea Barton, an expatriate whose heart was moved by what she saw at Ishahayi Beach. Through the Ishahayi Beach School Foundation — now the Shining Light School Foundation — the school found the wings to sail in progress and continuity. The Light Schools became Shining Light Schools, and the light has never dimmed since.

The story continues

Today our classrooms welcome students not only from across Nigeria, but from Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic and the Philippines. The next engineer, the next doctor, the next leader is sitting in one of our classrooms right now.

Are you a Shining Light alumnus? We would love to hear your story — reach out through our Contact page and let your journey inspire the next generation.