Dear ALU,
I write to express my heartfelt gratitude for giving me this golden opportunity to come this far in your admission process; especially for choosing me to participate in the Africa Rising course. Since I left high school (Prince of Wales School) in 2012, I have never participated in an academic challenge as rigorous as this. The ALU admission process has taught me many things which will enhance me in the pursuit of my dreams; and I will like to share them with you.
CROSS BORDER NETWORKING:
In the Africa Rising course I was privileged to make friends with a lot of Africa’s finest future leaders. The diversity we shared in the course, Facebook and Whatsapp groups etc… made me believe that “what you are or where you are from doesn’t matter, but what matters is the contribution you can give to make the world a better place. I feel proud to say I made over 20 friends from the Africa Rising course who I am in contact with to date. Every now and then the world is slowly becoming a global village, and if we are to use leadership to create global/continental development and economic stability, cultural diversity needs to be embraced – and ALU is doing just that.
CREATING PROSPERITY FROM LIMITED RESOURCES:
I learnt from the ALU admission process that opportunities to create prosperity can be found anywhere. In examining the case study of two entrepreneur leaders: Laetitia Mukungu from Kenya and Eric Rajaonary of Madagascar, I was greatly motivated and my passion and love for contributing to education grew. And I won’t stop pursuing my dreams until they come to fruition. I am also motivated by the lofty dreams of Ghanaian born Frederick Swaniker which is now in existence and expanding to global level.
ELIMINATING POVERTY THROUGH LEADERSHIP:
During the online course I learnt that a large percentage of Africa’s population live in poverty. As part of the 4th generation of leaders described by Frederick Swaniker, our responsibility is to create prosperity for the African continent in order to eliminate poverty.
THE LEARNING MODEL:
I am truly inspired by ALU! The learning model is one that I have dreamed of but cannot be offered by universities in my country Sierra Leone. The model is the most convenient I have ever encountered. It allows learning to be self-paced and gives you ample time to prepare for success. It gives students the opportunity to interact with others in the same course and share ideas that will be beneficial to them. I believe that for Africa to experience great change, we need to have the right and fully equipped people in the right places. I look forward to being part of the ALU inaugural class in Mauritius.
Sincerely,
Alpha Bangura
The ALU #LeadTheChange series highlights ALU applicants that have been inspired by ALU to start initiatives to improve their communities. New stories every Monday.
