How one alumni turns his leadership into action!
In 2017 we published a blog written by Anannyabrata, one of our 2016 Ambassador Leaders alums. We caught up with him recently to learn about how he continues to use his leadership skills to serve others.
Ambassador Leaders: Tell our readers about the leadership lessons you learned when you attended the Ambassador Leadership Summit at Harvard in 2016.
Anannyabrata M.: In truth, the Summit is where my leadership journey began. I still remember being in a widely diverse team where I learned effective leadership skills like how to communicate with people from different places and backgrounds.
I also learned leadership qualities like courage and practiced overcoming both physical and mental barriers, starting with the team building activity. I learned that true leaders are honest and giving. They serve their communities and act with integrity, no matter where their journeys lead. These are the lessons I took with me back to my home of Cote d’Ivoire.
Ambassador Leaders: How do you continue to serve as a leader today? What are your plans for the future?
When I returned home from the Summit, I founded an environmental club at my school, Morning Glory International. The club’s aim was to keep the area around my school “clean and green.” I graduated from the school two years ago, but the club and its current members continue to better the community.
Now, I attend the African Leadership Academy where I nurture my true passion: sustainability. Recently, I was selected to join a research team for my school’s Model African Union (similar to Model United Nations). My research focused on, “Fostering Resilient Agricultural Practices to Handle Natural Disasters.”
My interest in sustainability also led me to establish an entrepreneurial initiative called Agrinovation with four of my classmates. Using open land on our school’s campus, we grow organic vegetables that we sell to campus residents.
Finally, last June I visited a cocoa plantation in a village in northern Cote d’Ivoire and was moved to action when I saw the working conditions and farming practices of the people there. That summer, using my leadership knowledge and skills, I joined a cocoa firm called SAGROCAF and interned for their sustainability project under UTZ certification. UTZ certification stands for sustainable farming and better opportunities for farmers, their families and our planet.
Being an intern allowed me to include farmers from the village in the firm’s project. The farmers are now being trained and supported to produce cocoa using environmentally friendly and sustainable practices. They’ll soon earn their UTZ/Rainforest Alliance certification which—in addition to helping the environment—will improve the prices they earn for the cocoa.
Ambassador Leaders: Tell our readers more about the BUILD-in-a-Box initiative you started this summer.
The African Leadership Academy, where I attend school, instructs students on BUILD, a unique curriculum designed to foster entrepreneurship as a way to fight unemployment and engage young people in solving local problems.
I wanted to share BUILD with the other young people, so this summer, I led a BUILD-in-a-Box camp with the help of some classmates. My goal was to inspire other young people to change the world around us. We welcomed 30 participants to the camp which was free of charge and provided meals from local sponsors to participants.
Ambassador Leaders: What are the results of your work with BIAB this summer? How does it influence young people to become leaders?
Participants developed the belief that they can create positive change and identified the communities they’ll serve with their business ventures. The lessons they learned turned their thoughts toward entrepreneurship, a new concept to many participants.
With this, I hope to have created a ripple effect that will spread entrepreneurial leadership in the region. When young people realize their individual potential, they can initiate change and fight the unemployment issues that plague our area. We also encouraged the camp-goers to share what they learned with others, thus increasing the camp’s reach.
Ambassador Leaders: Finally, what advice do you have for students who will attend the 2020 Summits?
I want the students attending the 2020 Summits to know that each of them was born with something unique to offer. I want them to believe in their ability to create positive change.
I also hope they find the satisfaction that comes from giving back to their communities. Mostly, I hope they learn (like I did) that honesty and integrity will always be the most important part of one’s leadership journey.
We all have the power to change the world!
By Anannyabrata Mandal
Anannyabrata is an alum of the 2016 Ambassador Leadership Summit at Harvard University.