A personal goal is a new and improved landscape for aspiring youth where lack of knowledge/education and access to finance is a detriment to success. Early in my development career, the goal was just a premise, a “feel-good” development talking point when speaking about development aspirations. Recently, the drive to the following things has fueled this objective:
1. American Dream – As cliché as it sounds, the dream to move to another country for a better opportunity is still the principal reason people leave their native lands to immigrate to the United States. I was fortunate, and this happened in my earlier years. My parents left successful careers as a microbiologist and surgeon in Lagos for New York. The Nigeria I spent my earlier years is not the same. Nigeria’s economy shows 4.5- 4.8% growth for 2015, but the income inequality only widens with each innovative national achievement. Continually I ask myself, what can I do in my work here to improve opportunities for youth struggling with just a safe place to learn?
2. Visiting Estonia - The Winter Practicum for my Executive MBA program at the George Washington School of Business was in Estonia, a nation proving to be a model to the world of creating an integrated digital society for all. There I witnessed an innovative approach to doing more with less. In a visit to a K-12 school, the principal explained a theory of teaching that embodied their learning delivery. She believed that it was more important to give a kid a robot and say. “You play with it, take it apart, and teach yourself how to put it back together, with no manual or instructions.” The main reason for this is the need for such out-of-the-box thinkers who can participate in Estonia’s growing digital economy. With less than 1.2 million people, everyone must be highly engaged to sustain the growth of Estonia. Current President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said it best when speaking about how others can follow Estonia’s example “It’s sort of obnoxious to say, ‘Do what we did’… But he submits that Estonia’s success is not so much about ditching legacy technology as it is about shedding “legacy thinking.”, Continually, I ponder how I think out-of-the-box to impact the microfinance and entrepreneurship landscape and inspire youth to remain to be the Leaders today of tomorrow?
3. Teaching in Central Florida - As an adjunct professor of Business at the College of Central Florida, I taught an Introduction to entrepreneurship course that challenged students ranging from 19 to 60+. The purpose of the course was to challenge the students to propose innovative businesses in the North-Central Florida Economy. Not all the proposed plans were viable, but feedback provided valuable insight for students to leverage through faculty and local industry support while continuing their education.
We all share the same planet and can consensus on the need for an improved opportunity for all, especially our youth. Different nations have various requirements that require a collective effort for an innovative solution. Continuing to shed legacy thinking for fixing novel problems can help us push for a world free of poverty and shared prosperity for all.
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