3 Lessons from my First Mentor to Elevate Your 2022

In 2008, I spent my holidays at the Tumaini Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. I was visiting my mentor, a 52-year-old patient with a brain tumor. My mentor was a wonderful person, not because of his numerous professional, academic, and personal achievements but because of his dedication and commitment to improving his life and the lives of others through education.

My mentor came from humble beginnings. He was born in rural Tanzania, in a small village called Rumashi located close to the border of Tanzania and Burundi. He was the 5th of 6 children and spent his younger years either farming, or watching over his family’s cattle, or walking through game reserves to get to and from school which was many kilometres away. Even though his days were long and tiring and he had no option but to solely rely on candlelight when studying inthe evenings, he somehow managed to graduate with excellent grades and was awarded a government scholarship to attend a secondary school for gifted kids. After high school, he went on to receive his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and an MBA in Finance from the University of Dar es Salaam. Years later, he would complete his PhD in Engineering Economics from the University of Leoben and become a social sciences professor.