Hussein Jiva graduated from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa in 2009 after what he feels was a transformative journey.  

If he is adamant about one thing, it is the notion that having an open mind allows for an individual’s personal and professional growth. The willingness to consider new ideas and listen to people whose thoughts may be different from one’s own allows one to embrace new possibilities to solve societal problems.

Originally a resident of Mombasa, Hussein says it was his time at the Academy that forced him to examine his old thinking and rewrite a new chapter in his life.  

“I remain a proud alumnus of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa,” he states unwaveringly. “Given that the institution has had a huge impact in shaping my formative years.” Convinced that the Academy’s International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum played a key role in his growth and personal development, he postulates it is the rigor of the curriculum that made him the person he is today. 

“The IB curriculum education provided me with a well-rounded experience, anchored by values such as diversity, ethics, pluralism, leadership and open mindedness. On a social and cultural front, the pluralistic approach to education embraced by the Academy provided a strong foundation for me to build upon. It helped me in my journey to greater cultural understanding and tolerance, as I grew to appreciate differences in people from various backgrounds.” 

Hussein has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Communication Studies, with a focus on Digital Media at the United States International University–Africa in Nairobi. 

Ruminating about his years at the Academy, Hussein recently spoke about how the Academy places enormous importance on its public service curriculum requisite. He feels this requirement gives students a higher purpose in life a belief that they can make a difference in the communities in which the live. Hussein’s cosmopolitan citizen-of-the-world way of thinking was borne out of this requisite. 

“I recall participating in creativity, activity, service projects, one of the prerequisites to graduate from the Academy. On the surface, the concept is but a mere requirement. However, the esoteric essence of the practice provides for the development of a well-rounded individual who would ultimately contribute to the betterment of society beyond the academic sphere.” 

As a journalist, Hussein has covered various local and international events including the Cannes International Film Festival from 2013 to 2016, the International Indian Film Academy Awards in 2017 and 2018 and the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2015 and ICC World T20 2016. He has also reported on momentous occasions such as Pope Francis’s visit to Kenya in 2015 and the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit also to Kenya in 2016. 

In addition, for almost eight years, Hussein worked at The Asian Weekly, a publication based in Nairobi with an East African circulation. He contributed to the Weekly as a Writer, Photographer and Sub-Editor. He later led the Sports Desk, and covering sports remains his passion.

“Sports commentary has been my area of interest, with football dominating my preferences. As such, I have written on both local and international sports, for media outlets beyond Kenya. My work has been published on portals in Nigeria, the United States and the United Kingdom. I have also been on a local television football show as a guest commentator.” 

Asked what he would like to see happen in societies to make them more stable and better functioning, Hussien stated, 

“Let us become instruments of change and alter the realities we face; let not challenges be viewed as obstacles to success but stepping stones toward it. After all, when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will ultimately change.”

  

For Alqaim Lalani, his recent graduation from the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa brings him one step closer to furthering his dream of attaining a deeper understanding of how economics and politics affect a society and the daily life of its inhabitants. Alqaim will attend New York’s Columbia University in the Fall as a prestigious Kluge Scholar, where he plans to major in these subjects.

“I have much appreciation for the interdisciplinary study of economics and politics. These two areas of knowledge really dictate the decisions made by leaders, whether that be on the global stage or an institutional platform,” he states. 

Even at this young age, Alqaim has engaged in thoughtful and careful consideration of how economics can help leaders plan to avert an uncertain future in their countries.

“In the world we live in, where natural resources and commodities are increasingly scarce, coupled with a rising population growth, economics to me really seems like a subject that is instrumental in planning ahead for the turbulent times to come,” he states with confidence.

Alqaim says he was accepted in the Columbia Undergraduate Scholars Programme for “his intellectual pursuits, extracurricular achievements, and promise for future.”  He says being in a residential programme at the Academy helped him follow a routine and helped him navigate his rigorous workload more effectively.  He also relished being a “big brother” to the younger students in the dorm.

Extracurricular activities and public service undertakings are an integral part of the International Baccalaureate Programme (IB) curriculum at the Academies. As part of his public service requirement, Alqaim pioneered a cancer initiative called Tumaini La Maisha (Hope For Life). He started this in 2015 for children battling cancers at the Muhimbili National Hospital in Tanzania. Under this initiative, Alqaim engaged young cancer patients and their parents in arts and crafts activities as part of a healing process and also to raise money for their medical treatment. This initiative is ongoing and has expanded to Kenya and Uganda. The parents and patients make bags and other crafts which are sold to the public. 

“My personal involvement with the project is distributing the bags once they are made, marketing the products, making orders for the materials that are used in their production and raising awareness about the severity of pediatric cancer in East Africa.”

Another tenet that the Academy places immense importance on is pluralism.  What is Alqaim’s takeaway from this?

“In the first year of the diploma programme at the Academy, I travelled to Rwanda with other history students to learn about the Rwandan Genocide. This is perhaps one of the most memorable experiences I had. At the Academy, we are taught about the importance of pluralism and understanding. Yet, when I went to Rwanda and saw the atrocities of the genocide, it reminded me that everyone does not share these values. It also reminded me how significant my Academy education was in allowing me to become an individual that recognizes the wrongful nature of fear-mongering, propaganda and hate speech that are so pervasive today.”

Alqaim holds dear the many lessons learned at the school. He says they have opened his eyes and transformed his old way of thinking.

“Theory of Knowledge taught me to ask the deeper questions, share my opinion fervently while appreciating and respecting views that may be diametrically opposed from my own. Governance and Civil Society provided a nurturing environment for community service projects such as monetary and marketing support. 

Projecting an aura of congeniality, Alqaim says, “At the Academy, I have acquired a greater understanding on the importance of ethical leadership and an enduring commitment to whatever project I undertake.”

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