Six alumni return to offer advice and inspiration at Career Day.
One common characteristic among alumni of The School of St Jude is a sense of nostalgia. Many alumni share a desire to return to the school, whether it be to see graduations, teach students, coach sports, raise awareness, plan reunions, or simply pay a visit.
In May, six of our graduates were welcomed back to share their experiences, insights, and inspiration with the students at the St Jude’s Girls' Secondary School's first-ever Career Day. In terms of professions, they represented six industry clusters, including medicine, banking, finance and accounting, tourism and hospitality management, education, and entrepreneurship. Their contributions to the event were outstanding, and we were happy to see them embodying a spirit of service.
The students who were particularly interested in athletics, art, and music saw a fantastic presentation by Nickson Jeremiah (Class of 2020) who is presently employed full-time as a graphic designer and artist.
“You know this joke that teachers never get old? It was a surprise to see how much younger they got even after five years of not seeing them, it was funny and a surprise at the same time,” says Nickson.
Many students were drawn to Arafa Adam (Class of 2017) who is well-known for being an accomplished public speaker and an entrepreneur who has started several enterprises. Her belief that we build our future on everything we do in the present and that the younger generation should learn this early, led her to see Career Day as a sort of homecoming.
“You might put a lot of effort and learn a lot of things but if you lack consistency and vision that drives you, then you can easily be distracted and swept away from your path,” she reiterates.
The staff and students warmly greeted Esuvat Ojung'u (Class of 2015), one of the first St Jude’s alumni to graduate as a doctor. Esuvat understands that St Jude's students and alumni share similar backgrounds, so she believes that it is easy for the students to relate to her, and as a result, be inspired to reach their goals. She encourages other alumni to pursue similar initiatives.
Another highlight of the day was meeting Anna Emmanuel (Class of 2015), who is currently an Accounts Receivables Officer at the school. Some of the students were eager to know how life has panned out for her since she graduated high school and whether she has experienced any surprises, "To be honest, practically everything I saw after leaving school was a surprise. We learn to read, write, and count in school. When you realize that expenses always exceed your budget, real life begins.” To the current students and other alumni, she conveys the message,"Whenever you get the least chance to improve a skill, do it big."
“It is really fascinating and I experienced a lot of growth with this. I used to sit back and listen to speakers on Career Days back in my days as a student at St Jude’s wearing the same uniform. So, speaking in front of the girls really showed me just how I am growing each day,” says Agnes Kamkana (Class of 2016) about her experience as a speaker.
Margareth Augustino (2016), was particularly moved by the students' willingness to hear what she had to say and learn more when she spoke with them about business and entrepreneurship. We spotted so many students walking with her even after the session was over. She reminded students that St Jude’s is an open door of opportunities for students and alumni, and that they should make the most out of all the available resources.
We would like to express our gratitude to all the alumni who give their time to mentor students and other alumni by imparting their knowledge, skills, and inspiration. We encourage all alumni to consider different ways they can participate in the non-financial giving spirit.
