Joan Kingszy Aza : how a US Program changed her life

She is strongly dedicated to two things: education and the elimination of drug proliferation among the youth. Joan Kingszy Aza, 2017 Mandela Washington Fellow, followed a six-week program in the Civic Leadership at the Bowling Green State University, Ohio. Back in the island since a month, the forward looking lady shares with us her life changing experience in the USA.

She is back with plenty of ideas and plans in her mind and is committed to apply what she learned in the US to her professional field. Joan Kingszy Aza, one of the 2017 Mandela Washington Fellows, spent six weeks at the Bowling Green State University, Ohio following an academic coursework, leadership training and networking in the civic leadership track. Back in Mauritius, the young woman tells us how this golden opportunity has helped her grow on so many levels and has changed her perspective on life.

Currently completing her Master 2 Language Science at Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 University, Joan is someone who knows how hard work pays off at the end. Indeed, this resident of Tombeau Bay’s pathway is that of a fighter. Joan did her primary education at the Louis Serge Coutet Government School, which is a ZEP school with lowest pass rate in Mauritius. Despite not being in a mainstream institution, she was ranked at the CPE examination and brought much pride to her school. Joan then did her secondary education at Pailles SSS and sat for her Higher School Certificate at Port Louis State College (now known as GMD Atchia).

Coming from a family of three brothers and a sister, Joan knew that education was the key to her life. A lover of the French language, she did her first degree in French in 2007. However, committed to social work, Joan decided to do a second degree in Social work in 2012. The following year, she flew to France to do a Master 1 Language Science at the Paul Valery, Montpellier III.

It is in 2012 however that she first participated in the Yes You(th) Can seminar organised by the US Embassy. “At that time, we did not know this was the first step to integrate the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). I then integrated the YALI platform and I came across Mandela Washington Fellow application,” she says. Joan confides that it is following her third application that she was selected as one of the fellows. “It is a crazy busy year for me so when I got the fellowship, I cried and said to God, ‘You are such a joker’ as I did not expect it at all to come this year! So when I got it, I told myself, it took you three applications to get there, so you are going to go there with an open mind and enjoy everything.”

The Mandela Washington Fellow experience

Joan was selected to follow a coursework in the civic leadership track. “Civic leadership track is oriented to those who are civically engaged and serve the public through NGO and volunteerism,” she explains. It is at the Bowling Green State University, Ohio, that Joan followed a six-week program. Her first in the USA, Joan states that “America is much more than what we see in the movies.” She adds that “I discovered authentic people. I met Diasporas from Africa. I’ve visited six states namely Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Virginia, Washington DC and Illinois where is found the city of Chicago.”

Through the program, Joan also had the opportunity to visit different NGOs from different fields among those working on migration to big companies promoting social entrepreneurship. So what did our social worker learned from her trip? “It was a life changing experience,” she states. Joan shares that her meeting with fellows coming from 19 different countries in Africa was an open window on cultural diversity. “Now I have a more positive view on Africa. The youths are working hard and we see much progress. Of course, I also met with Americans. I met people from different regions and different spheres that widen my views and world and this has made me a better person today. I’ve learned so much about Africa and got to discover the African food which I fell in love with.” During her experience, Joan also learned and developed team spirit. “As people with different backgrounds and cultures, we learned to work together and that was a challenge. I’ve made friends for life thanks to this MWF.”

The Mandela fellow has also learned lessons during her trip. “We Mauritians must be humble and start to work, we are lagging behind believing that we do better than others and we are resting on our pillows!”

A flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), the MWF also aims to empower young people and provide them with the opportunity to hone their skills. As such, Joan says that she has learned and developed lifelong skills. “I’ve learned about leadership and the meaning of being a leader. I’ve also developed skills such as public speaking, writing, fundraising, writing a project, communications skills, active listening, empathy and many more.” That is why Joan emphasises that the MWF has helped in her holistic development as a professional in the education and drug substance abuse. “I underwent both a personal and professional transformation. I’ve enhanced my leadership skills, learned to embrace each one’s differences and also how to think differently.”

Joan confides that there are also several other events during her trip in the US that marked her. “We had a workshop session with three leaders in Toledo where we learned how to mentor children who don’t have any “repère”, especially a cultural one. At the end of the session, we were almost crying after we heard their stories. This has inspired us all. Also, during a session with the NGO Live United, we had a poverty simulation exercise. The aim was to make people understand how the poor cope with poverty in their daily lives and their challenges. I think it is a very interesting program for social workers, policy makers and even politicians. We’ve also had an ignite talk as part of requirement for the program. Ours was particularly deep as we all explain what we do and why we do it. It was passionate session.”

Today, Joan says that she is processing everything that she’s learned and planning on the implementation. “One very interesting thing we gained from this fellowship is the connection. Connection not only with American NGOs but also connection among the fellows… For example, out of a simple conversation we can get a problem solved.” Joan, along with other fellows, plans to do a ‘YaliLearns’ with the help of the US Embassy and US Department of States soon, not only to share her experience in the US but also conduct a session on community engagement. “I want to focus on empowering the community so as to enable them to write better narratives.”

Joan is looking forward with much enthusiasm to the future after she completes her Masters 2. “As soon as I finish my studies, I will start by implementing some measures. I have two major projects in the pipeline with the collaboration of fellows I met at Bowling Green but also with some NGO. Both of them concern my areas of interests. I won’t say much for now, I prefer to get things settle well before voicing out,” she says. Our Fellow confides that she would not have achieved all this without the unrelenting support of her parents. “My parents are the most comprehensive persons I know on this earth. They have always supported all my choices and have always been by my side no matter what.”