Mary Powell – Lead Instructor
We have all been gearing up for an exciting summer on campus, but didn’t realize that this summer would be a time for our students to begin to blossom outside of Akilah, too!
Last month, four of our students were offered positions at The Manor, a boutique hotel that has just opened in Kigali.
On her first day at work last week, Anita, one of our best students, was promoted from the Housekeeping department directly to Reception.
Anita is now the face of the Manor – an enormous responsibility and a source of pride for every member of our Akilah family. Anita spent last weekend using the skills she’s gaining here to welcome The Manor’s first guests.
Akilah staff are not the only ones watching Anita’s career bloom, however. In the last few days, Anita has inspired over ten other students to step out of their comfort zones and enter Kigali’s job market. Our Program Director, Monique, has written letters of recommendation to a variety of companies around the city. Some students have applied to work in Customer Service at a top telephone and internet provider, some have applied for training at Rwanda’s premier coffee shop, and some have sought to become Anita’s colleagues at The Manor.
As Akilah’s hospitality instructor, the last two weeks have given me a renewed pride in my students. In only half a year we have built a richly supportive environment in which students are learning new skills as they develop confidence and inspire each other to go out and create a place for themselves in the new Rwanda.
In March, students wrote poems about their dreams for the Dream Flag Project. Here is what Anita had to say. I think she is well on her way.
I am the Dreamer.
I dream so wide.
I dream I am a sunrise in the sky.
I dream I am a tall tree in the forest.
I dream I am a leader, somewhere, somehow.
This is all about my dreams.
I dream I’ll hold the hands of those who are weak.
I dream I am a peacemaker in my society.
I dream so big.
I dream I’ll be the moonlight in my nation.
I dream I’ll rise up like a new flower.
I dream so big.
I dream one day I will speak to the world.
I dream I’ll be one of the inheritants of the Kingdom of God.
I am the Dreamer.