"Something that I appreciated about being an AKA Fellow was the trust that people placed in me. There is a lot of flexibility within the fellowship to develop and implement new programs, and to impact students in a huge way through individual mentoring and support. Personally, I had no interest in working in education before I moved to Hyderabad. I was a recent graduate with a degree in Cultural Anthropology who was fascinated by Indian culture, which is what drew me to the Academy in the first place. I struggled at first to adapt, as I was the first ever fellow on the AKAH campus and I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but eventually I realized that the most important thing to know about this experience is that the fellowship is what you make of it. The fellowship is great for people who are independent, open-minded, and ready to seize opportunities. I thought that I would finish my fellowship and then return back to the USA, but after finishing my time in Hyderabad I was given an opportunity to continue in Mombasa on a contract as the full-time University Counsellor. I then went on to complete my Masters of Education in International Counseling Psychology so that I could further my skill set to include social-emotional counselling. Now, I'm in my 5th year of working for the Aga Khan Academies and am proud of how much I have been able to grow and shape the university counselling department. More than that, it has been so incredibly rewarding to see my former students thrive in universities across 20 different countries."