My Princeton in Africa Journey
As an Afro-optimist and Pan-African, I couldn’t have spent the last year at an organization more aligned with my personal values. I joined the Emerging Public Leaders team through the Princeton in Africa Fellowship with the desire to work with an organization empowering young people to play an active role in the continent’s development — it’s been an honor to do just that.
Over the last 12 months, I worked to raise awareness of our country programs and employ innovative methods to engage with alumni. I wrote stories about our Fellows, developed and implemented creative social media strategies and helped get the Emerging Public Leaders Ghana alumni network off the ground. While most of this work was done remotely due to travel restrictions — and I spent just three months in Ghana — I would do it all over again if I could.
From WhatsApp brainstorming sessions, to strings of voice messages problem-solving around program issues — collaborating with my colleagues in Washington D.C., Accra, Nairobi and Monrovia energized me. After nine months of remote work, finally having the opportunity to transition to Accra, Ghana in April made my experience that much richer.
One of my favorite things about working from our office in Accra was the genuine sense of community that I felt. Meetings started off with a check in, not about tasks or projects, but about our well-being and how our families were doing. They also started and ended with a prayer, something very different from many (all) of the organizations I worked for prior but also refreshing. That sense of community, paired with our shared passion for connecting young people to meaningful opportunities fueled our work and I am thankful to have experienced that.
I especially look forward to continuing to follow the journeys of our Fellows in Liberia, Ghana and Kenya — what an incredible network to be a part of! As a young professional originally from Zambia, it’s been fulfilling to be in community with young African leaders equally as passionate about the continent’s growth and development. Although my Fellowship has come to a close, I am excited to stay connected with Fellows and colleagues in the years to come.
