“I would always look for corners and sit quietly,” Reginah recalls as she thinks back on her early years at Amazima. She was a shy, little girl, who loved to smile, but had very little confidence. Speaking in class felt impossible, and she preferred to stay out of the spotlight and in her comfort zone. What she never could have predicted then, is that today, she serves in a prestigious leadership position as the Speaker of the Student Medical Association at her university.
Among Amazima’s first graduating class (Class of ‘24), Reginah remembers that her confidence was low, in the early years, because she didn’t know how to express herself. What she didn’t realize was just how many opportunities she would have to grow during her time at Amazima. From her teachers prompting her to speak up in class, to being requested to give her perspective during daily devotions with her mentors and housemates, to giving presentations in front of the class, she went from reluctantly speaking up to gradually growing more comfortable, and eventually feeling confident. “I had a big support system including my teachers, mentors, and friends,” she says.
In her second year at Ndejje University, she was elected as the Speaker of the Student Medical Association because her “leadership, vision, and dedication have earned the trust of her peers,” according to the flyer that was circulated around her campus. Some of her duties as Speaker include chairing meetings, ensuring order, acting as a representative of the association, and creating unity. She believes that being honest with herself and others have created a high level of trust in her as a leader.
When asked what she would tell her younger, timid self, she says, “it is okay to make mistakes and take risks because that’s how we learn and grow.” At Amazima, our students are given many opportunities to learn and grow because just as Reginah experienced, we know that when given a safe and nurturing environment, students can flourish into who God created them to be.
Through her teachers and mentors, Reginah says she learned “the way we communicate with people, our honesty, the respect we give them, and the love we show, all come together to create a good leader.”
Reginah has grown into a strong and gracious leader and we know that she will continue to impact her peers and future generations to come. She plans to continue to study medicine and eventually become a well-established physician who communicates clearly and kindly with her patients. She desires to create a space where her patients “feel comfortable so they express how they truly feel and can feel empowered to make decisions.”
When we asked what her shy little girl self would have thought if someone told her what her future holds, Reginah says, “I would have thought they don’t know what they’re talking about or that they are mistaking me for someone else they’ve met before. I would literally not believe them.”
We are so proud of Reginah for the godly and bright young woman she is, and we can’t wait to see how she will continue to further the Kingdom through her leadership.