Institute for East African Councils on Higher Education, Washington, DC
For the past almost three months, I worked as a summer fellow at the Institute for East African Councils on Higher Education (IEA Councils), which was an absolutely rewarding experience. IEA Councils is an education access-oriented non-profit/NGO that was formally established in 2016, and works as a competitive year-long college preparatory program. Community scholars are either immigrants from war-torn East African regions or first-generation college-bound students. IEA Councils holds a special place in my heart, as I myself am a former scholar. Having already interacted with the executive and staff members through a more collegiate mentorship, I knew that rejoining the Institute from a professional standpoint would be an experience filled with encouragement, intimacy, and compassion.
As a summer fellow, I had numerous duties that spanned across the many responsibilities of sustaining an early start-up, as well as some creative projects. I started a blog on alumni achievement, scripted and hosted international webinars, drafted awards applications, and evaluated potential scholars. I also accompanied the Executive Director to informal meetups with potential partners and donors, and represented the organization at empowering community events. More rewardingly, however, was the helpful advice I received about the importance of following my dreams.
As a scholar, I first joined IEA Councils in order to garner a more comprehensive understanding of higher education outside of my own limited cultural scope. IEA Councils is absolutely distinct in the fact that it is an organization for East Africans run by East Africans, which is mirrored in its curriculum’s culturally sensitive structure, as well as method for parent and community engagement. There, I was trained by high accomplished members of my own diaspora on what schools deserved me, on how to market myself, and how to survive in spaces so different than my own. I was similarly mentored by those same team members as a summer fellow, which has allowed me to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the professional world, the realities of life beyond college, and on breaking cultural barriers to be successful.
The benefits of working at the Institute were only further emphasized when considering its encouraging message. IEA Councils has been a mobilizing force in addressing my community’s delicate perceptions on higher education, family life, blackness, foreignness, and the conflicts and concerns integral to diasporic existence. Its innovative intersectional framework has assured the upward mobility, collegiate achievement, and overall confidence of its many talented, yet underserved scholars. Acting as a cultural broker, it has made elite education a tangible option for not just our carefully selected pool of students, but it has set an inspirational precedent by providing role models to entire communities. Its impact among students and communities at large is a great example of the organization’s commitment in encouraging East African security, support, and excellence.
I joined the Institute at an especially critical time, and my efforts may help to establish amazing national and global initiatives. IEA Councils is based within the DC Metropolitan area, restricting our range of students. I assisted in writing a grant that could help implement a national Extended Cohort, presenting a convenient opportunity for scholars across the U.S. to leverage IEA Councils’ services. Alongside this national agenda, we launched a series of annual international workshops to be conducted throughout East Africa, starting in Ethiopia this fall. The webinars I created will be aired during these workshops with detailed information about applying to selective and hyper-selective schools as an international applicant. These workshops, which hope to later extend to Eritrea and then throughout the region as a whole, also aim to unite conflicting peoples through a love of education and the eye-opening experience of life abroad.
My time at the Institute will be especially helpful as I return to campus and hope to invigorate spaces like Williams’ African Student Organization as a board member, as well as declare concentrations in Africana Studies and Justice and Law. My experience at IEA Councils, as one who was served by it and then served for it, is a testament to the limitless bounds of representation, the successive legacy of empowerment, and the beautiful obligation of return. I hope to build a career within social impact work, with a particular interest with immigrants, refugees, human rights, and education access and equity. When retelling my day-to-day responsibilities to my friends and family, I’ve been questioned on why I’ve volunteered so much extra time, or have agreed to an extra project. What it boils down to really is so simple: I love it. I love the work, I love the message, and I love the people I work with. It’s hard to stay away.
I can never repay IEA Councils for the impact they have had on me. More important than returning the favor, however, I wish to carry on the legacy. I know that the work I’ve conducted and have assisted in is something that I could not have learned just in a classroom. It has been an experiential learning opportunity in the greatest regards—in building character, resilience, creativity, and most importantly, inspiration. I am eager to continue cultivating and extending these wonderful skills at Williams and beyond, and am grateful for the Institute for East African Councils on Higher Education, the ’68 Center for Career Exploration, and the Class of 1972 for making this valuable opportunity possible. Thank you!
Megamenu Social