Advice from Alumni: Believe in Yourself and Invest in Your Future
As we all learn to adjust to the challenges caused by COVID-19, we continue to be inspired and encouraged by our students, who have overcome difficult obstacles to become young leaders, entrepreneurs, mentors, and role models in their communities.
One student who has particularly inspired us is Irene Kisakye, one of Educate!’s first Scholars and superstars in Uganda. After high school, Irene went on to graduate from Makerere University with an honors degree in Information Technology. Today, she works as an IT Specialist with the Uganda Revenue Authority in Kampala. We recently caught up with Irene to hear more about her journey after graduation as well as learn how she may have leveraged skills gained through Educate! in life after school.
It’s been about ten years since you joined Educate!. Have any lessons or learnings stayed with you all this time?
The most impactful lesson I learned through Educate! was in collaborative leadership. I am a better leader because of the program. Initially, I would always want things done my way, but Educate! trained me to look for middle ground with fellow team-members. Today, a huge part of my role is convincing different stakeholders of the need to incorporate IT into daily workflows. I present my forward-looking ideas to government leaders and business administrators, and I owe my strategic thinking to Educate!’s training. Educate! also instilled in me the culture of constantly learning, striving to always be better, and forecasting future opportunities. I have taken the time to invest in myself by taking on different projects, constantly keeping myself informed, and learning new practical skills. Through Educate!, I built a strong foundation for myself.
Have you been in a situation where you felt the training you received from Educate! benefited you?
In my final year of university, I visited a TV station in Kampala, uninvited, to confidently express my interest in an internship. With no prior experience, I convinced a manager of my capabilities and he agreed to take a chance on me.
During my internship, I grabbed at every chance to showcase my leadership potential. Educate! had instilled in me the confidence to believe in my abilities and articulate my ideas and opinions, not only among my peers but with senior leadership. After a year of presenting my best work, I had proven myself and did not even have to ask for a full-time offer. My supervisor recognized my drive and offered me a full-time position.
“I demonstrated skills which fresh graduates do not typically show. Our universities do not teach us practical real-world skills like crafting business proposals, or thinking about personal and professional goals. ”
I demonstrated skills which fresh graduates do not typically show. Our universities do not teach us practical real-world skills like crafting business proposals, or thinking about personal and professional goals. It’s a no-brainer that Educate! is the reason why I stood out from my fellow graduates. Without the Educate! experience, my life would have looked completely different.
How have you felt supported as an Alumni of the Educate! program? Have you participated in any initiatives after school?
After high school, I was elected the first president of Educate!’s alumni cohort. During that time, I was connected to an organization called the Global Women’s Water Initiative. We had a week of intensive training on the value of water access to communities. At the end of the training, grants were awarded to implement community projects. Prior experience drafting proposals and vision statements at Educate! equipped me to write proposals, and I won the grant!
I partnered with a school in Kabulu to build a water storage system. They experienced reduced school attendance especially during the dry season when students had to walk long distances for water. We proposed installing a water-source closer to the school, and for five weeks, I worked with my colleagues to build the system and to sensitize the community on sanitation. Upon completion, the school reported an uptick in the students’ attendance and not only that; three years after the project, the school saw a rise in admitted students because of water access.
What would you tell the 2020 class of Educate! Scholars?
Leaders are not born, they are made. We need to invest in ourselves to get where we want to be. I would encourage each one of us to step outside of our comfort zones and think BIG. Trust the sacrifices you are making now to invest in yourself because they will go a long way in enabling you to access opportunities you previously thought were out of reach.