Catalyzing Impact

Through my affiliations with the United World Colleges, Stanford University, and the MasterCard Foundation, I have had the privilege of building on a foundation of access and opportunity that few from my background receive.

The Halidon Committee — Where It Began

When Osego Kgaodi recruited me to co-found a fundraising initiative for Batho Madigele's kidney transplant, I hesitated. At the time, I was the Student Council President at Seepapitso Senior Secondary School and a recipient of the Top Achievers Scholarship. I did not have the time.

With most of the members of The Halidon being Student Council members, by the end, the lines between civic duty and personal calling had blurred beautifully. We secured the support of everyone from Sir Ketumile Masire to the Paramount Chief of the Bangwaketse tribe, Kgosi Malope II. We poured our hearts and souls into the work.

UCMAS & The Philippines

Following my graduation from Seepapitso, I spent ten months working for UCMAS Botswana, teaching mindmapping and mnemonic techniques. By leveraging my fluency in the local language and understanding of cultural norms, I liaised between the Philippine head office and Botswana parents — building bridges across cultures in the service of learning.

UWC Costa Rica & The Street Store

UWC Costa Rica has six competencies it seeks to develop: leadership, social responsibility, environmental stewardship, international understanding, personal challenge, and service. One of my most memorable service projects began when a fellow student heard of The Street Store in South Africa and wanted to create something similar for the homeless in San Jose, Costa Rica. I helped recruit a team and build partnerships with local businesses.

I learned that sometimes catalyzing impact is as simple as leveraging one's connections in the service of someone else's bold idea.

Sri Lanka & Community Health

I applied to the Bing Overseas Studies Program on Community, Health, and Learning Through Service in Sri Lanka. As we traveled across the country in a packed 3-week experience, I witnessed something moving: the Shramadana — a gift of labour, where communities come together to build something for the collective good without expectation of personal gain.

I went back the following summer on a Cardinal Quarter Fellowship, this time to contribute to building a healthcare database for the communities we had visited. Although not to the quality I would have liked, in part due to resource constraints, the work laid a foundation for future effort.

MasterCard Foundation Scholars

As a MasterCard Foundation Scholar, I participated in an annual Day of Service and contested the MCF Scholars Representative Elections for three consecutive years — winning the second and third terms. Stanford did not want MCF Scholars to be treated any differently from other students, so there was no formal structure for advocacy. I helped create one.

Mentorship

Of all the ways I believe I have catalyzed impact in this world, my favorite has been mentoring others. Most of the mentorship I have given over the years has been to students from Kanye who — because of the myth of Tumisang Ramarea — reached out for guidance along their educational journeys.

COVID-19 Modeling in Botswana

During graduate school I catalyzed impact by giving my time and talent to modeling efforts on the coronavirus pandemic in Botswana. My team used data modeling and simulation to evaluate the impact of different interventions on the spread of the virus — work that contributed to policy conversations at a critical moment.

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