"This experience was so surreal [because] we weren’t just communicating with [our mentors at] Leadership Initiatives, but also having Skype sessions with the Nigerian owners and their translators."
The Global Young Innovators Initiative offered tours of prestigious universities, a visit to Boston’s historic sites, and an amazing opportunity to receive an internship with Leadership Initiatives.
I was instantly fascinated by what I learned on the first day from the organization’s director, Marshall Bailly. The first thing that shocked me was how young he was for all the things he has already experienced. This made me realize that age isn't a factor when it comes to success; it’s determination that counts. Marshall presented us with an opportunity to engage with local businesses in Nigeria who were struggling with organizational, marketing, inventory, and production problems. We were given the choice to work with a tailoring, welding, photography, or fish farming business. The business that I selected was the tailoring business. This experience was so surreal because we weren’t just communicating with [our mentors at] Leadership Initiatives, but also having Skype sessions with the Nigerian owners and their translators. Apart from learning about their profession, we got a chance to learn about their lifestyle and current events in the area. My team, all of us from different areas of the United States, received the list of problems we had to solve and instantly started a flow of ideas for solutions. It was incredible to see how much everyone has to contribute in brainstorming processes; we all have such a different mentality!
Apart from working on the project, we visited many sites of Boston. My favorite had to be the tour of the Harvard Campus. The buildings have so much history and classic architecture that was amazing to explore. We also visited the campus of MIT which is so different from Harvard. The buildings are so modern and have a distinctive, creative look. Boston was truly beautiful to see, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t visited sooner.
At the end of the program, I had so many new friends who taught me something new as well as gave me advice every single day. When it was time to present our solutions, I unfortunately could not be there, but was glad to hear that our solutions had been chosen. This meant, I would have an internship with Leadership Initiatives. This internship is unlike anything in the world. It gives you so many opportunities to enhance your knowledge of business and life in general. Not only is it completely life changing, but this internship is great for college applications to distinguish you from other applicants. Currently, I am working closely with the Leadership Initiatives board on various aspects of the organization such as marketing and grants. I am so grateful to have this one-of-a-kind experience. I want to make a difference in this world (how cliche of me, but come on, who doesn’t). I finally have an opportunity to do so and I intend to take full advantage of it.