2015 has been an exciting year for African Leadership College (ALC), ALU’s first campus in Mauritius. We have had an amazing ride filled with a lot of fun, challenging and inspiring moments. As the year comes to a close, 10 members of our community (faculty, staff and students) share a few things that they are thankful for.
“I am thankful for a great work environment and great colleagues. I am grateful that our first 68 students arrived in Mauritius safely and that the second cycle of applications is off to a good start. None of this could have happened without support from my colleagues!”
– Nelly Agyeman-Gyamfi, Admissions Associate, Ghana
“I feel extremely grateful for good health. We tend to take our health for granted: the ability to move, the ability to enjoy nature’s aweing moments, the ability to connect with the people we love and inspire, the ability to have a voice, to talk, to be heard and hear others whose words we value. I fell terribly ill and was bedridden for a short time period a few months ago and it changed my perspective on health.”
– Fatoumata Fall, Faculty for Data and Decisions, Senegal
“I am thankful for getting into ALC, and having the chance to encounter diversity in every sense of the word. I am grateful for living on an island and being in a college that doesn’t have grades or exams, but actually cares about the skills students acquire and the wellbeing of students. I am also happy because I have started Banza Magazine and found a great team of passionate people to work with.”
– Joseph Rutakangwa, Student, Tanzania
“I’m mostly thankful for opportunities in 2015 – opportunities to be part of an amazing team that believes in changing the face of education in Africa and in the world. I’m grateful that I was challenged to design curriculum, to build the Student Life team and to deliver on academic and non-academic programming that is impacting our first cohort of founders. Finally, I’m also thankful for all past opportunities that have led me to where I am today, particularly for the African Leadership Academy.”
– Veda Sunassee, Director of Student Life, Mauritius
“I am grateful for being part of the inaugural class, and for living in such a healthy environment. I am also grateful for many things that we usually take for granted: such as food, health and having a place to stay. I am grateful for the people I have in my life and for living each day to the fullest.”
– Yonas Tilahun, Student, Ethiopia
“This year has been very special for me. First because I finally graduated from high school, and second because I got admission to an amazing institution. Being here allows me to be myself, to work hard and get closer to my dream.”
– Lina Dosse, Student, Morocco
“I’m thankful for being in a place where we take seriously the idea of entrusting students to own their learning journeys, and I’m thankful for the students who have taken that trust and shown all of us what they are capable of even more than we had imagined. I’m thankful for rich conversations, provocative ideas, experimenting with the unknown, and embracing uncertainty. And burritos. I’m always thankful for burritos – even if they’re impossible to find in Mauritius.”
– Seth Trudeau, Director of Curriculum, USA
“First, I am so grateful for making it to ALC. I’ve met great and like-minded people, and have so many caring friends. This is something I didn’t have in my former school. I also appreciate the fact that I am exposed to knowledge that makes you realise that life is not about doing things for yourself, but about putting the world in your vision and serving people. The last thing I am thankful for is being pushed out of my comfort zone here in ALC, which will help me gain the knowledge I need to shape Africa.”
– Peter Enejo, Student, Nigeria
“I am thankful for a passion for education. I can’t think of a better cause that impacts so many lives in such a significant way. I am thankful that our founding students are learning and growing while having the best time of their lives. And I am, of course, grateful that I am healthy and surrounded by people I love and cherish.”
– Yoann Dechambenoit, Director of Technology and Operations, Afropean
“I am grateful for being able to finally follow a path that I am certain will lead me to greatness, by coming to ALC. This institution has a sympathetic atmosphere that allows me to be myself. For me the year of 2015 was a year of regeneration.”
– Kabo Madigele, Student, Botswana
What are you grateful for in 2015?
