I never knew that attending the African Leadership Academy would be as invigorati
ng or life changing as it has been. In a space of three months my opinions and values have been reshaped, learning to accept and freely learn from others. Being an only child, I came from a small family with just my mom, stepdad and me. For this reason I believed that it would be difficult for me to engage with others and find comfort in such a large group of people. What I didn’t realize was that this group of people were not just people, but rather my soon to be family. I now not only seek comfort with my large ALA Family, but feel more at home at ALA than anywhere else I have been before. I have learnt to adapt to a large family and inspirational people I have had the opportunity to interact with and have become more than just my peers but my family. So what started off as being a challenge indefinitely became a valuable experience for me. Apart from the sense of togetherness that I have grown to love, ALA has also made many external opportunities available for me. On the 8th of November 2014, I was given the opportunity to attend an external opportune at Pioneer Academies. I had been given the opportunity to grow, assimilate and acquire all the knowledge and skills that Pioneer Academies made available for me. The external opportunity not only enabled me to learn, but made it possible for me to share my own opinions and beliefs that could make education more effective for students. Since education is a passion of mine, I felt that through this opportunity I was able to view education and teaching through a different lens, which I had not done before.
Since being at ALA I have learnt to use my time productively and efficiently, participating in many extra-curricular activities. Such activities include Africeconomics and Investment have encouraged me to think harder, more critically and view situations from a finical point of view. I have particularly enjoyed investment club where I have started learning how to invest, and aim that by the time I am eighteen I will be able to trade competetny and knowledgeably at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Being part of the International Relations Council takes up much of my free time, but I enjoy it. In January 2015 I will be one of eight students that will be attending the Harvard Model United Nations at Harwar University. I have no words to express how excited, happy, and honored I am to have been given this opportunity. All I know is that I will make the best of this opportunity and constant;y seek to better myself. Apart from IRC, Africeconomics and Investment club I am also a peer coach for the African Careers Network. As a peer coach, I help edit and improve the Resumes and Cirricular Vitae’s of current ALA students. This enables ALA students to submit documents that are up to date and present the best part of a student. Enabling the ACN team to focus on bigger, more important aspects such as Alumni applications for internships and job opportunities. Being part of these clubs had not only widened by knowledge and skills, but have developed mtg leadership capabilities, enabling me to be a better leader and person toward others and myself.
Prior to coming to ALA I presumed that I would not be able to cope with the strenuous and tough academics that comes with it. However, I did not take into consideration how helpful and supportive the teachers at ALA would be. Instead of being unable to cope with academics I have been able to come fairly well and still keep a balance with all my clubs and societies. A subject that I have specifically enjoyed has been my mathematics class. Instead of my class being a class where I only learn from a teacher, I am given the opportunity to also learn from my peers, with the belief that students can learn from teachers and their peers. I found this method of teaching very helpful and have truly enjoyed it.
Although I have been at ALA for only three months, it feels like I have been here for years. The friendships, lessons and skills I have learnt will stay with me forever. I feat that before I know it my time at ALA will be over and I will start the next chapter of my life. ALA has been a dream come true and I have enjoyed every day that I have experienced so far.