Access to Education for Talented African Students

Thierry is an AAI Graduate from Benin who completed his undergraduate studies in Mining Engineering at Exeter University in the United Kingdom.

‘’Growing up as an orphan in a rural town exposed me to hardships and fueled my pursuit of education,” he says. “I lost my mother at two years old, and my father often left home looking for different opportunities across Benin. I lacked a robust support system to supply some of my basic needs.’’ From a young age, Thiery used his exceptional problem-solving and entrepreneurial skills to achieve his educational goals: ‘’My family could not pay school fees while supporting my basic needs. To solve this, I started a business at eight years old.’’

Thiery’s determination and resourcefulness helped him achieve his goal of accessing quality education and receiving a scholarship offer from Ashinaga. ‘’My participation in the Ashinaga African Initiative exposed me to cross-cultural dialogues that reshaped my understanding of Africa” he says. “While in the program, I engaged in formal debates and workshops with peers, which helped me realize the complexity of different issues facing the continent.” As a result, Thiery shaped his kokorozashi to revolve around addressing the mismanagement of natural resources in Africa: ‘’My time and experiences at AAI inspired me to reimagine systems for the extraction of natural resources, to empower Africans to build effective partnerships locally and globally.’’

Thiery adds that the AAI program empowered him to prioritize learning outside the classroom as well. He took it upon himself to develop his emotional intelligence, time management, and leadership skills. To learn more about the mining field and develop the necessary skills related to his kokorozashi, he completed an internship at a gold mine in Mali. His project included leading a team of four people in collecting and analyzing data, and ultimately providing the company’s leadership team with recommendations to decrease production costs.

Thiery says the internship played a key role in his professional development: ‘’It helped me stand out during my job search process. In my last year at university, I was fortunate enough to work under a mentor who helped me develop soft skills, coached me on interview techniques, and supported me throughout the whole job search process. On the other hand, the skill of multitasking was pivotal during my job and master's program search. Utilizing the skill, I was able to carry out my studies, undertake an internship, prepare for interviews, and work on my graduate school applications.’’

Troubled by seeing so many students in his home country struggling to afford school supplies, Thiery started an initiative that provides stationery and educational tools to disadvantaged students in Benin to help them pursue their academic work. ‘’I started this after my internship in Mali with the savings I made,” he says. “It helped me buy a small amount of stationery to launch my project. Looking ahead, I plan on increasing the scale and impact of the initiative. We hope to work with more local partners to provide more school supplies to children and ensure no one is left behind.’’ Thiery’s hardships and experiences inspired him to pay it forward and extend his support to other young people so they can also have access to education.

Thiery envisions an impact that goes far beyond his home country, and encompasses all of Africa. To that end, he and a friend co-founded a company that provides diagnostic equipment to medical students in Senegal. Their goal is to increase access to quality equipment for medical students and practitioners, and thus improve the quality of health care across Africa.

Thiery graduated during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. He went through a long, challenging process of job hunting and applying for graduate schools. His hard work paid off, and he is currently working as an Engineer at Strabag, a leading construction company in Austria, where he is taking part in the largest infrastructure project to date in Europe, the new HS2 high-speed railway link in the United Kingdom.

Thiery is determined to increase his knowledge of the mining and engineering industries through his current job. He hopes to develop a strong network and expertise to bring his kokorozashi to life and revolutionize the mining sector in Africa, and also hopes to continue contributing to making quality education more accessible on the continent.

Thiery’s academic excellence, exceptional skills, and unshakable engagement to make an impact in Africa, even before graduation, are a testament to the immense potential young people have. For Thiery, it is about continuous learning and paying it forward. ‘’I owe my success to Ashinaga.” he says. “It taught me two valuable skills: networking and multitasking. Through the Ashinaga program, I gained access to a rich and wide network. Through these contacts, I was able to land my first internship role in Mali.‘’

Ashinaga is thrilled to see AAI Scholars and Graduates excel beyond academics and unleash their leadership potential.

Links:

• Know Ashinaga UK
• AAI Program Structure
• Contact Us

By Ashinaga USA Scholar, Godfrella 

About 12 weeks ago, I was sitting at the dinner table eating and conversing with a friend about my study abroad semester in Stockholm, Sweden. Naturally, I was very excited about the prospect of living and studying in Sweden for four months. At the same time, I had zero expectations about what my life would be like in Sweden. What I had was an open mind, and I was very open to learning and living the Swedish lifestyle. To do that, I opted to live with a Swedish host family and take a Swedish language and culture class.

 My time in Sweden so far has been fabulous. My host family is amazing, and I feel like I am a part of the family. Even the family pet labradoodle now barks in English and Swedish because of me. I have had the world-famous kottbullar and potatis (Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes) and semla (a Swedish pastry bun filled with almond paste and whipped cream). And I have adopted the typical Swedish escalator etiquette of standing to the right and walking to the left. I am also a student blogger for my study-abroad institution, a job that drives me to observe and reflect on life in Sweden (and, of course, promote the program). I have been learning the Swedish language in my Swedish class. Even though I struggle to understand everything, I can successfully use context to eavesdrop on conversations in the metro during my commute to and from school. Today, I was finally able to read an advertisement in the metro station. This is an outstanding achievement considering that my assignment for Swedish class this week is to see how much Swedish I can understand in my environment.

 I have found that Sweden emphasizes having a work-life balance, which is reflected in my schooling as well. My learning must be translated to the real world, so my courses have experiences like field studies and study tours. In some of my field studies, I have visited museums such as The Nobel Prize Museum, toured the royal palace, and conducted a short survey on people’s perceptions of the stock market. My Forensic Psychology class visited Scotland this past week. We saw and spoke with organizations that work with criminal offenders and provide victim services to understand how they practice the concepts we learned in class. These visits greatly informed my exploration of reentry initiatives in Sierra Leone for formerly incarcerated people, which is the focus of my Ashinaga Proposal.

 The best thing about visiting Scotland was being able to reconnect with some of my Ashinaga family. I lack the words to describe the joy I felt when I laid eyes on them after three years. From studying abroad and beyond, I am grateful that I get to experience life in a different culture and associate with people. Each new experience makes me learn more about myself and appreciate all that life offers.

Godfrella is an Ashinaga Africa Initiative Scholar from Sierra Leone, studying Psychology in the US. Her kokorozashi, which roughly translates to purpose in life,is to change the mental health landscape of her home country. Godfrella is expanding the international scope of her studies by spending a semester abroad in Sweden. She was selected from other University of Richmond students to chronicle her studies abroad; you can read more about her experience here:  https://athomeabroadschool.wordpress.com/blog/