Tanaz Hudda currently acts as the new poster girl for the University of Victoria. She graduated from the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad in 2016 and has just completed her first year of university in Canada. While currently undeclared she plans to pursue a double major in History and Economics. Tanaz emphasises the usefulness of the Academy in her past year of study. "I definitely feel that the balance provided by the Academy has helped me get involved in different projects in university without compromising my academics."

 

Another lesson that is helping her through university came from one of her Academy teachers. "My teachers were my support system throughout my time at the Academy. One of my favourite teachers who pushed me harder and harder whenever I would perform well or sometimes not so well was Dr. Karuna Arya. I think she instilled this idea in me that one can always do better, even if it appears that you are the best at it. I genuinely cannot forget that lesson as it has helped me so much in the past few months at university." Tanaz also relied on the Academy's staff for help with university choices. "Choosing the kind of university that would suit you the best is always difficult. I had many questions and I had no clue where I would rather go as all universities seemed appealing. For me, the two things that mattered most was affordability and coop opportunities in the field of humanities. I was able to narrow down the list with the help of our University Counsellor, Ms. Pragati, and that made a huge impact on my university choice."

Even though Tanaz has found that Canada can offer her the best career opportunities she believes that giving back to her country and settling down in India is more important. "That connection is what motivates me to study harder and then settle in India to contribute to the greater good of the place I come from. The Academy taught me to strive for excellence, work for the community and be involved in as many extra-curricular activities as possible, as well as never forget where you come from. Giving back to the society has been my goal ever since I joined the Academy and would definitely influence my plans for the future." While at the Academy Tanaz volunteered at a local residential school and helped organise different events for the children there. This and other service projects, such as her volunteering in Nairobi, has convinced Tanaz of the importance of education for India's future, especially in rural schools.

Not only is it important for students to have an education but she also stresses the importance of a 'proper' education. "I have visited many local schools which have neither resources nor adequate training to teach kids what they are supposed to learn. I feel that education is the only chance we have to transform how the nation thinks and that needs to be instilled in rural areas, because India lives in its villages. No education and most of all, improper education could be dangerous in creating false knowledge and sometimes continuing the social evils that exist in a society. Hence, I would focus on making the education system better."

Joining the Academy virtually for the new academic year 2020 - 2021, our new Senior School Principal is excited to provide support to our teachers and collaborate with them in order to make as big an impact as possible as a group.

From his university days, Karim Ismail knew he wanted to work with young people and has not looked back since. Grateful for the experiences during his education, he felt compelled to share the love for learning amongst youngsters and recreate those experiences for students around the world.

“Understanding how I could ensure that other students get similar opportunities to build their character and personality made it an easy career decision,” he shared on his choice to become a teacher.

Hailing from the UK, Karim’s journey as a teacher and school leader has taken him all over the world including Kenya, Uganda, India, South Africa and Mozambique to name a few. He was working at an IB institution when he was recruited as one of the founding teachers of the Senior School at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad. Having worked for the Academies and other IB institutions in various leadership capacities, Karim now joins the AKA Maputo as the Senior School Principal.

Reflecting back when he held a similar role in Hyderabad, he said there are a number of reasons why it was special for him. “The time spent in Hyderabad not only gave me the opportunities to contribute towards student and teacher development but was developmental for me as a teacher and a leader as well. And I was proud to see through our first cohort of graduates in the Diploma Programme. I have very fond memories of my time in Hyderabad.”

Identifying the impact of education policy and the influence of change at a systemic level, Karim has experience in non-classroom based roles as well. He has worked with many schools in order to build on existing capacities to improve potential and has qualified to train teachers to become IB certified which is something he still does today.

“Taking the opportunity to step out of the classroom and partner with schools to focus on their institutional improvement was eye-opening. I have had the privilege of visiting excellent institutions and seeing their practices in place, and learning on each occasion. Meeting and training IB teachers from all corners of the world allows you to understand those educational contexts and their valuable diversity. Inevitably this work brought me back to working with the Aga Khan Academies.” 

In his visits to the AKA Maputo, he has played an important role in understanding how to improve upon the quality of mathematics education, looking at changes in curriculum as well as their implementation. He brings this same analytical eye to the Senior School where he is excited to work full time with his new colleagues in Maputo. Having worked with the teachers in Maputo on various occasions, Karim lauds the teachers at the Academy for their strong set of core values which resonate with him; enabling him to provide support and encourage teachers in their mission to nurture leaders.

“Students have huge potential to become leaders. And our teachers, in my opinion, are the only way we're going to achieve that. They are the key drivers of change. They’re going to influence minds. They're going to be the relationship holders with that student body. And so my role is very much to give the teachers what they need, provide that space and encouragement, be that support and give them resources to allow them to do that job to the best of their capability.”

Praising the Academy for its quick and comprehensive response to the challenges posed by COVID-19, he found the quality of the online programme comparable to some of the best on offer with regards to its points of contact, rich content and technical tools deployed therein. While he agrees that the unique in person contact experience cannot be replicated, the Academy strives to achieve similar outcomes.

“If you have good relationships with your students, you can get the most out of them and they can work with you to identify their barriers, to push through their challenges and go through their good and bad days knowing that they have that support as a constant anchor for them in the classroom, virtual or otherwise.”

But there have also been a few silver linings through this unprecedented time. Karim points out that online learning has allowed students to develop their own skills in terms of organisation, their independence as a learner as well as their self-reliance and grit which will be hugely important moving forward.

Highlighting another boon in the transition to online learning, he finds that it, “facilitates the opportunity to provide intervention and support that cannot always be offered in a physical classroom, and this can lead to a better understanding of students’ needs, and positive impact on their progress.” He adds that this can be applicable to mathematics, language learning and other areas whereby the faculty are equipped to individualise instruction, provide feedback in a more direct way to students and in essence, help them bridge some of their prior gaps and misconceptions in a more efficient way.

Feeling honoured and privileged to be serving in his new role, he said, “I recognise this opportunity to really support the vision of what we're trying to do at the Academy. For our students, it's one of the most unorthodox experiences they have had educationally and in their lives. And I'm heartened and proud of the way in which I've seen people demonstrate grit and perseverance to get through this. That's going to make them stronger people.” 

“And as we come back together as a physical school community in the future, I look forward to sharing those experiences, strengthening our Academy community, and appreciating the stimulation and freedom that comes with access to schooling. We have an incredibly exciting journey ahead.”

Students Cinzia Torriani (year 10) and Alisha Doshi (DP1) interviewed Alison Hampshire, the new Head of Academy at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa. They discussed passions, dreams, important themes in education and life lessons. 

Hello Mrs Alison. Could you please share a brief background of yourself? 

Hello girls! Of course! Well, I was born in Leeds, North of England, and I lived there until I was 17. I left home to attend the University of Sussex in Brighton, which is on the south coast of England. I studied for a music degree and was even a musician for a period of time! I then decided to train to be a teacher and started my teaching career in Brighton. After a little while, I got involved in theatre and became involved with a theatre group. I then ended up in Africa teaching, went back to England, ended up in Hong Kong, then Malaysia, and now back in Africa – Kenya more specifically. 

If you were to describe yourself in a sentence, what would it be? 

I think in a sentence I would describe myself as honest, passionate about education and protective. I am like a lioness and will protect the people that I am looking after, and that would include my students, my staff and my own family. My birth sign is actually a Leo, and my animal in the Chinese culture is a tiger, so I could see myself as a tiger and a lion – both loving yet protective animals.

Those are very important traits in a person. Similarly, what are the two things that you are not? 

I know that I am not a mean person. I am not a very sporty person either! 

Can you please tell us a little more about yourself and your family, for our readers to get to know you better? Is there something about yourself (a few interesting facts) that you would want students to know?

One of the things that perhaps people don’t know about me is that I really, really like heights, which is why I have done many activities that involve taking the risk of jumping out of an aeroplane, abseiling or even paragliding. I have done a number of things that require me to take a risk. And so, although I am sometimes hesitant, every time I have a birthday ending with 0, I like to give myself a new challenge and do something that is very difficult for me. There is nothing greater than accomplishing your goals.

The other thing is that I really like spicy food, so if I’m ordering a curry and the option is mild or hot, I would go for the hot one!

What is the most valuable life lesson you have ever learnt that you feel has had the biggest impact on you as a person?

One of my most valuable life lessons was when I was only 15. It was the first time that I ever felt that I had failed. When I was young, I played the flute and I received a distinction on every exam that I took, until I did my grade 6 (bronze level) exam where I got a merit. In the scheme of things, that’s not terrible, but it was devastating for me, and the life lesson I learned was that you have to pick yourself up, brush yourself off and try harder next time.

I was not prepared to proceed to grade 8 (gold level) until I was convinced that I was going to get a distinction, and so I worked and worked and worked and eventually that’s what happened. But the feeling I got when I was disappointed in myself was really hard, and the lesson I learnt was that sometimes you just have to forgive yourself and carry on. 

What made you choose education as a profession? Is it a calling, a service, an agency or a love?

I started out as a musician and then realised that it wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life. It was selfish in a way – it was about being the best you could be, it was a very competitive environment. Also, while growing up at school, people had always said to me that I was such a good teacher. And so when the music didn’t work out as a profession, I looked to other options and tried many things out before deciding to be a teacher, but when I finally did decide to be a teacher I knew it was the thing I should have been doing from the beginning. 

What values do you promote in terms of a learning environment?

I find that English literature provides all sorts of scenarios by which students can engage with issues and also aids in developing empathy. And I think that, as an English teacher, the important thing you need to develop is for students to be able to step inside another world and think about the lives of others.

And so the novels that I choose would possibly be about those that have challenging themes. I remember teaching To Kill A Mockingbird in a school which was entirely white, to help a rural British community understand the challenges of the themes in that novel. It was a very interesting experience. I also find that this is what literature can do – it can help us to see other people and other people’s worlds, and help us develop our understanding of different perspectives and ideally empathy for others.

I completely promote pluralism – it is also one of the main things literature can do. I remember having read the Chinua Achebe trilogy, and it was the beginning of my love for stories, literature and the love for Africa as well.

Why the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa?

Mostly because of the vision and the mission of His Highness. I completely believe that education is about empowering young people and that it is about change. I have always felt that I have gone into education to make a difference, not necessarily one that I can make but one that can be made through the lives of others through young people. And so, when I came across the mission and the vision of the Academy, it really seemed to synchronise with my own values. The other attraction was that having lived in Africa for my very first posting outside of Britain, the thought of returning was very exciting.

The community of students here is one that I felt was interesting to join. To be honest, in the past I have never worked in a situation where there were local teachers in an international school – it has mostly been expatriate teachers, and I found that to be a very exciting prospect.

What is something you have never done before and you may be able to do here in Mombasa?

I have never eaten a whole lobster! Actually, I would love to learn how to kite surf over the next few years. I would also really like to go and find some great African music and spend a whole night dancing!

What is your take on the students at the Academy, based on your interactions with them thus far? Do they measure up, in terms of mindset and potential, to those you have experienced in the west?

I think it is really hard to generalise a whole student body, especially with the regard to the fact that I have mostly taught in the east in Asia rather than in the west, but there is definitely a big difference between students in England and students I have taught in an international setting.

I have found that students here are really open and really social, very welcoming, and they seem quite interested in the adults in their lives. They are polite and also seem to be inquirers. My most intense experience was when I went on the DP1 trip, and I felt that the level of interaction the students had with each other showed great compassion with one another. They asked great questions, seeming to be very interested and open-minded, which are very good traits. 

Is there a favourite quote or saying or aphorism – a thought that you live by, a statement that encapsulates your personal view?

There is a quote by Gandhi which I live by, and it encapsulates my personal view. It is basically about self-esteem and states that nobody else is in charge of your happiness, other than yourself. It is “Nobody can hurt me without my permission”. I think that how you react to a situation is in your control, and over time I have learnt that it is nobody else’s power to do anything to you; physically they can, but emotionally how I react is how I am – which is the lesson I have learnt.

Finally, is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about you?

The really important thing that I would want to let everyone know is that I am having a lot of fun so far, and I am really enjoying my time here, and I hope that carries on.

 

 

 

The 2017 – 2018 academic year will be my fourth and final year at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa. As I approach graduation in June 2018 and reflect on the person I was when I joined the Academy from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, I am grateful for how much I have grown as an individual and the opportunities I have been able to access.

Through the Academy I have made many of my dreams a reality. I created a project to advocate for the rights of people with albinism in Tanzania, I have ameliorated my skills within the arts, I have coordinated a youth organisation, and most importantly I am a leader and work hard to have a positive impact on my peers.

I am extremely passionate about fighting for the rights of people with albinism in Tanzania. I have always wanted to do something to help the disadvantaged and underprivileged within my community, and I was first able to do so at the Academy in Mombasa. In Year 10 I filmed a documentary for my Personal Project raising awareness about the stigma and plight surrounding persons with albinism, with an aim to educate both the Tanzanian and Kenyan communities on this issue. I continued fighting for this cause through my TEDx talk at the Academy called “Souls Worth Living Too” where I spoke about the issue and my project, encouraging others to take action as well. This was a huge step for me, and the talk was shared on the official TEDx YouTube page.

I chose to continue this project through my Extended Essay, investigating the way in which the discrimination of people living with albinism in Tanzania affects their level of development. The experience I had while conducting research was eye opening. Although change has been made over the years the Tanzanian community still has a long way to go. I want to continue this project in a more artistic and service-oriented way once I graduate this academic year. I plan on doing so mainly through photography and film projects as well as confidence training, awareness and literacy programs.

Furthermore, the Academy has given me the opportunity to carry out other projects for causes I am equally passionate about such as women’s rights and feminism. I am currently the Director of a youth organisation called Stand Up Shout Out (SUSO) Mombasa which carries out several projects in areas such as the environment and education. This year I created a new project known as “Stand Up Shout Out Against Rape Culture Campaign”. Our first event was a Mombasa-wide conference in which students from different schools and socio-economic backgrounds came together to discuss this issue and provide potential solutions. This was a dream come true for me as I was able to create a project to tackle this issue that is deeply rooted within our communities and often disregarded.  Before I graduate and in my capacity as Director I would like to complete the SUSO Feed A Soul Khadija Library project, where we are building a library for the children of Khadija Primary School.

Music is also an area that I am deeply passionate about. Although I grew up in a musical family, I was able to grow tremendously as a musician once I joined the Academy. In addition to being an active member of the school choir, I write my own music and perform both inside and outside school. Being part of the school choir has allowed me to acquire more skills and to become a stronger singer and musician. Most importantly it has boosted my confidence and allowed me to encourage other musically-talented students to explore music and to help them grow in this area. There is nothing more rewarding than assisting someone in developing their ability to express themselves, to show their passions and to produce art. Music is a huge part of my identity, and at the Academy, I have been able to foster this part of myself.

In Diploma One [first year of the Diploma Programme], I was the Student Council Expression Representative. This role was extremely fulfilling and greatly contributed to my personal growth. I ensured that I would use my position to do the most and the best for the student community at the Academy in Mombasa. I pushed myself to come up with different and innovative ideas, and create opportunities that allowed students to express their talents and passions. Some of the projects and events I introduced include a Musical Theatre enrichment, a Coachella Festival aimed at allowing students to share their talents in visual and performing arts as well as music. 

Following this, I was elected as Student Council President for the 2017 – 2018 academic year. Through this opportunity, I have gained new skills and been exposed to new experiences. As President I feel as though it is my duty to be approachable, relatable and a friend to every student in the school. I want to ensure that the student body is able to express their thoughts, that individuals are able to grow in different aspects of their lives and that every student finds their passion within the Academy.

Being a part of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa community has allowed me to grow tremendously, to express my talents and passions, to fight for what I believe in and to have a positive impact on those around me. Through the various activities in which I have participated and the leadership positions that I have held, I believe that I have discovered my identity and what I want to achieve in my life. I intend on pursuing architecture, a discipline that will allow me to combine my love for art, my intellectual interests as well as my long term goal to serve my community in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Although I have chosen a career path, I will continue to do music, photography, film, visual art as well as community and service due to the fact that these are all areas which form my identity and that I am passionate about.

I am very grateful for the lessons and education I have received and believe that the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa has equipped me with the skills and experiences to achieve my long term goals.

By Arzoo Rajpar