Stella Wayianzuvuko

English Instructor, Akilah Institute

My own personal transformation from the person I was to who I am now attracted me to Akilah. Although I grew up in a family of five girls, it was not easy for me. I was always the quiet one and very reserved. But in high school, I had a math teacher who had faith in me. He realized I had a good voice — good enough to enter poetry competitions. When I first took part in poetry competitions, I was surprised because I could actually stand in front of people and speak. The first time I participated, I won the competition at the district level. Everyone was so excited. Then we went to the provincial levels. It was a phase that really gave me confidence, considering that I came from a background where I felt other people mattered more than I did.

When I went to university, I was not sure what I wanted to do, but I thought of studying mass communications. Both my parents are English teachers, and my mother really wished I would do education. I did not feel that I had the self-esteem to stand in front of students to teach them, but my mother convinced me to pursue education anyway. I did very well in English, so I decided that I wanted to teach language and literature.

Teaching at Akilah is a really good opportunity to mentor young women and help them realize who they are and that they can be something. Just thinking about these young girls reminds me of who I was and who I am now: mature, confident, and knowing what I want in life.

Some of the Akilah girls in Year 1 are still not confident about who they are and who they want to be. But when I see the difference between the ones in Year 1 and the ones who are in Year 3, you know they’ve grown. By the time they complete their studies at Akilah, you find that the girls are really confident; they know what they want, and they can actually stand and speak in front of a crowd.