Contextualizing STEM Education in Liberia, West Africa

✅ Project Coordinator at Willette Safehouse✅ Working to provide access to education for the the visually impaired, auditory challenged and albino communities.✅ Author, speaker and education consultant In this new episode I chat with Mr. Tarlee A. Nauhn, an educator working in Liberia to make education accessible to  excluded communities.  I learned a lot from this conversation and I believe you will! Listen and be inspired! 

✅ International Business Student (Financial Management) ✅ Agribusiness Manager and Founder, SME Startup Connect ✅ Eggland LLC Liberia  Co-Founder/ Lead Partner Co-Founder/ Lead Partner        Producing Quality Eggs For the Liberian Market. In this new episode I chat with a Calvin Nelson, a Liberian living in Finland, pursuing an advance degree in International Business. Follow his interesting journey from being refugee to a budding international businessman. Listen and be inspired! 

✅Cyber Security/System Engineer professional with over twenty (20) years of experience✅Transforming large-scale legacy infrastructures to modern digital platforms✅AWS Certified SysOps Associate and AWS Certified DevOps Professional certifications✅Bachelor Degree in Information Technology – Colorado State University✅MBA in Technology Management with focus on Information AssuranceIn this new episode, I chat with a good friend from high school, Patrick Johnson. In this honest and raw emotional conversation, Patrick opens up about surviving the Liberian civil war and finally reuniting with his family in the U.S.  He enjoys football, basketball, snowboarding, UFC Kickboxing, and hacker/security events. Patrick lives with his family in Virginia.New Contextualizing STEM Education in Liberia is streaming on all major podcast platforms. Listen and be inspired! 

✅ Co-founder of the Institute of Basic Technology✅ Double Board Certified Physician✅ Bestselling Author and EntrepreneurThis week on Contextualizing #STEM #Education in #Liberia, I sit down for a chat with my wife, best friend and co-founder of our nonprofit. She talks about growing up as a first generation American, her motivation for pursuing medicine and her love for Liberia.Now streaming on all major podcast platforms. Listen and be inspired! 

✅ Author, Entrepreneur,  Social Media Strategist , Brand Optimizer✅ Host of Chat with Themmy podcast✅ Champion for women empowerment The story of Thelma is one of resilience, selflessness and overcoming one's insecurity.  In this episode she describes her struggles/experiences and how she's using them as a platform for empowering others through her books, podcasts and clothing line. Follow the links below:Clothing line https://colorful-lemonade-apparels.creator-spring.com ( Ships globally). Books by Thelma  https://selar.co/m/ColorfulLemonade  Listen and be inspired! 

✅ Chemistry Lab Mentor✅ President of the Chemistry Student Organization✅ Graduating Senior at the University of Liberia✅ Hult Prize WinnerMr. Harris G. Moseray is the  Chemistry mentor in our STEM program and a graduating senior from the University of Liberia.  His love for Chemistry was inspired by nature and a palm oil processing company in his local town.Listen and be inspired! 

✅  Medical Doctor (MBChB)✅  Doctorpreneur, Founder of Arepubliz  ✅ Medical Intern at Korle-Bu Teaching hospital in GhanaDr. Geepea shares how at a very early age his dad inspired his dream of becoming a medical doctor. He discusses the how the challenges of this pursuit lands him at the University of Ghana medical school. He's a recent med school graduate and hopes to eventually  become an Orthopedic surgeon.Listen and be inspired! 

The story of Evangeline is one of determination for a young lady  overcoming the odds to obtain her undergraduate degree and with hopes of one day becoming a medical doctor.She currently serves as the mentor of our Biology lab, she  is a graduating senior and Vice President of the Biology Student Union at the University of Liberia.Stay tuned and be inspired!

✅Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University-Commerce✅Director of the Masters in Social Work Program✅ Wife, mom and a proud LiberianIn this new episode of Contextualizing STEM Education in Liberia, Dr. Brownell-Vinton, then a high school student, describes how her early days of going into the communities to talk about safe sex, family planning,  etc., served as an impetus for interest in social work.Stay tuned and be inspired!

Happy 2022!!Is it possible to predict how a high school student will perform academically prior to sitting in a classroom?In this first episode of the year, we discuss our mission. Specifically we discuss the predictive teaching model we are building and some of the results are seeing in the early stages.Stay tuned and be inspired!

✅CEO of School Web Platform✅Software Engineer✅App and Website Developer In this new episode of Contextualizing STEM Education in Liberia,  Mr. Nixon Flomo shares his journey to creating the School Web platform.  A software platform blazing the trail of digitizing high school records and bringing them online,  mitigating bribery for grades schemes and actively involving the parents of students in their education, etc.Now streaming on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and all platforms. Listen and be Inspired!

✅Clinical Therapist – Trauma and Post War trauma✅Master of Arts – Mental Health Counseling✅Master of Public Health – Community Health Education ✅Bachelor of Arts - PsychologyIn this new episode of Contextualizing STEM Education in Liberia, we discuss the issue of trauma still affecting many in Liberia. Our guest Mrs. Zahnwhea Harmon shares the harrowing details of escaping the war in Liberia and how that experience informed her career of choice. Although the conversation about trauma was a heavy one, there were still moments of levity. Now streaming on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and all platforms. Listen and be Inspired!

✅Country Manager of Africa Mobile Network, AMN Liberia✅Engineering Manager, Liberia Telecommunications Authority✅MBA in Business Administration and General Management✅BSc. In Electronics and Communications engineering For many in rural Liberia, gaining access to the internet means literally climbing a mountain or tree to acquire a wireless signal, for a student it means waking up at 2am when there's less network activity or for others, it is the only lifeline to those seeking urgent medical care. In this new episode of Contextualizing STEM Education in Liberia, our guest Mr. P. Tumu Bowier discusses how his organization is working to bring access to some of the most remote towns and villages in Liberia.Now streaming on iTunes, Amazon and Pandora. Be Inspired!

✅ Quality Assurance and Compliance Specialist over the Anatomic Pathology Laboratory at a major Healthcare company✅ Master of Science in Healthcare Administration with a background in Medical Laboratory Science✅Worked as a certified Medical Laboratory Scientist in various hospital and toxicology laboratories✅Fled the civil war in Liberia at just 12 years old and resettled in the United States✅ Smart and Intelligence underpinned by her Faith in ChristIn this inspiring episode of Contextualizing STEM Education in Liberia, our guest Mrs. Valeria Anderson Shepard recounts her journey of survival and her unwavering pursuit of achieving her education.Now streaming on iTunes, Amazon and Pandora. Listen and be Inspired!

This week as I sat down with my good friend and former classmate Dr. Samuel G. Toe.Dr. Toe is  an Associate Professor of Politics & Int'l Political Economy at the IBB Graduate School, University of Liberia. He is also Acting President of the Thomas P. Fallah University College, in Paynesville City, Monrovia.Hear his amazing journey  and be inspired!

 Computer Networking and Programming graduateTechnical vocational education mentorFund his way through undergrad via several scholarships  This week on Contextualizing #STEM #Education in #Liberia, hear this new and exciting story of Emmanuel. He developed and operates our technical vocation education curriculum. During the war, he left school to attend his family cattle while hiding deep in the forest. He learned to repair mobile phone as a  way of generating income, as a 13 year old kid he spoke very little English...Now streaming on all major podcast platforms. Listen and be inspired! 

✅Fled Liberia on one of the last PAN AM flights out of the country during the civil war✅Supports IBM's Cybersecurity & Biometrics service line for IBM✅Oversees cybersecurity and privacy related innovation for Federal & local clients✅Discusses the challenges of working in a male-dominated career

In the second part of our conversation, Elton discusses the difficulty of having to leave his wife in Liberia in pursuit of education in the U.S.He discusses his time at Angie's ListHe also discusses his various roles at MicrosoftHe finally concludes with what needs to happen for education to improve in LiberiaListen and be inspired!

 Senior Software Engineer at MicrosoftTaught himself computer programming and tried to sell his first programKey member of one of the first Tech Startups in LiberiaMaster's in computer programming from University of Washington This week on Contextualizing #STEM #Education in #Liberia, hear Part 1 of the story of Mr. Elton Carr, a friend and brother of over two decades. He bootstrapped his future right in Liberia. Now streaming on all major podcast platforms. Listen and be inspired! #SoftwareEngineer #Microsoft 

✅ His mom inspired his love for Robotics and computer science✅ PhD Candidate at USC✅ National Science Foundation Fellow✅ Developing AI Negotiation Training system✅  Researcher in field of Artificial Intelligence (AI)✅ NC A&T Grad This week on Contextualizing #STEM #Education in #Liberia, hear the story of Emmanuel Johnson who fled Liberia at the age of 8 and settled with his mom in Trenton, NJ. Now streaming on all major podcast platforms. Listen and be inspired! #STEM #AI 

✅Strategic Alliance Lead at pharmaceutical giant, AstraZeneca ✅Runs sales and marketing operations at Ayoka Essentials✅Background in Biochemistry✅Finding her voice as a young female student✅Candidly discusses the impact of culture on learning✅Ways to make education thrive in the midst of a pandemic✅Wife and mommy bear to two beautiful kidsThis week on Contextualizing STEM Education in Liberia, I chatted with an old friend from high school, Mrs Kua Lumei-Smith. I clearly remember her as being among the few self-motivated students from our graduating class.Now streaming on all major podcast platforms. Listen and be inspired! #Voice#GirlPower

✅Public health professional✅Inspired by her grandmother give back✅She and her family are contributing to the progress of Liberia Today we bring you the inspiring story of Mrs. Charlene McGee-Kollie. She and her family fled Liberia during the heat of the civil war and settled in Portland, Oregon.  In this podcast we chat about her journey to becoming a public health professional,  the public health policy and infrastructural challenges in Liberia, etc. Listen to this new episode of Contextualizing STEM Education in Liberia, West Africa now streaming on iTunes, Amazon and Pandora. Be Inspired!

Wainright Acquoi is a Liberian social entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and CEO of TRIBE, a social enterprise reimagining secondary education by creating alternative models that make learning meaningful, impactful and productive, to prepare young students for the future of work.He works as a consulting analyst at Dalberg Media in Copenhagen. Wainright is a 2021 Samuel Huntington Public Service Award winner, a Watson Social Entrepreneurship Scholar, and a Daveler Entrepreneurship Fellow.

In this episode, I deviate from our usual discussion  to help bring light to the looming drug crisis decimating the Liberian youth and is gradually making its way into the classrooms.Today I sit down with a friend and brother I've known for a little over 20 years, Sam Nunoo! Sam is a Minister of the Gospel and a social worker who stumbled into this dark under belly of the Liberian society. Hear how his organization is grappling with the herculean task of drug prevention and rehab, trauma counseling, proactively reaching out to schools, etc. He tells a His organization has spent years researching and being out in the field among the "zogos" as these young people are disparagingly called. He and others are workinging to get the Liberian Government to appropriately treat this as a national emergency!

✅ Starts her nursing career just as COVID peaks in the U.S.✅ She candidly speaks about the importance of God and family✅Her journey to becoming a nurse almost got derailed due to racism✅Opens up her struggles as an immigrant kid and being bullied about her accent✅Generously donates school supplies to a local elementary school in Liberia annually✅Tutors nursing fundamentals on her YouTube channel My guest this week is my kid sister, who is a career nurse! She candidly talks about life as an immigrant kid, being bullied, racism and how she almost never made it to becoming a nurse. Listen and be inspired!

✅Her dream is to become a brain surgeon✅Her dad struggles a debilitating illness, but still strivesto provide for her family✅She practices some of the new information she learns in school on her mom✅She wants to take the lead in improving the abysmal patient care in Liberia ✅She's already talked several medical professionals about her dream of becoming a doctor ✅He wants to help address food insecurity in Liberia, by studying agriculture✅He lost his dad, who was a pharmacist to Ebola in 2014, and would still want to make him proud Today we bring you the inspiring stories of Rostevelene, Georgevina and Gabriel, three high school seniors who will be graduating high school in few months. Listen to this new episode of Contextualizing STEM Education in Liberia, West Africa now streaming on iTunes, Amazon and Pandora. Be Inspired!

✅Master of Engineering in Chemical Engineering (Fine Chemical Engineering) from Tianjin University, China✅Lecturer at the University of Liberia✅His father was a huge role model that inspired his love for education✅His father wanted him to become a medical doctor✅His Chemistry professor inspired his love for Chemistry ✅Works as a nanny for another family after school to earn moneyThe story of Charles Baysah, reads like an inspiring adventure about a kid who swims against the tides and succeeds! His dad always dreamed that he would become a medical doctor. However at some point he had to break the news to his dad about an alternate dream. Listen and be inspired! A new episode of Contextualizing STEM Education in Liberia, West Africa is now streaming on iTunes, Amazon, Pandora, Google, etc.

✅Gets Inspired to be a journalist from listening to grief counselor✅Gets a sports scholarship to pay her way through high school✅Seeing her mom suffer a debilitating sickness inspired her desire to want to be a doctor ✅Lives on her own as she depends on a relative, teacher and hard work to get by ✅Desires to be a nurse to help take care of people✅Works as a nanny for another family after school to earn moneyIn this edition of Contextualizing Education in Liberia, West Africa, we talk with Grace, Benellyn and Marima. Three students from one of our partnering schools, who are determined to graduate high school despite the odds. Be Inspired!

✅Earned both graduate and undergraduate degrees via several scholarships and grants✅Excelled in the Sierra Leonean, Liberian and Chinese educational systems✅Compelled to learned Chinese as the instructions  for most of the lab equipment were not written in English✅Brilliantly handles his first encounter with racism✅Physics lab mentor to hundreds of high school studentsIbrahim Sinneh Sinneh is passionate as he is brilliant. He serves as our Physics mentor and first hire to our program. Hear this story of brilliance, tenacity and the desire to serve. Listen and be inspired!

✅Abandoned as a 13 year old refugee✅Musician✅EducatorHe is a musician and Geologist pursuing his second degree in Education with emphasis in Mathematics and Integrated science. As a kid, he was constantly on the move being bounced from one family member to the next. At 13 years old, he comes home from school to find all his relatives had departed for the states on a resettlement program. To make matters worse, he's a refugee in a foreign land. Hear this inspiring story of our mathematics mentor, Mr. Uriah R.D. Innis.

✅29 siblings✅Learning to speak English from a film crew ✅Writing your first book right after school Elijah Borwah knew what he wanted to do from the time our paths crossed in 2017 when he came to our labs as a high school student. Being one of thirty (30) kids , his education being largely championed by his mom, Elijah learned to speak English by watching a Ghanaian film crew shoot a movie in his village. This aspiring writer gave us his first manuscript last year and we are looking to get it published.Enjoy this inspiring story with a twist!

So today, we tell the story of the  agriculturalist/farmer who runs our STEM lab. Hear the inspiring story of the brains behind our daily operations at our STEM lab in Liberia! He was always passionate about farming at an early age, helping his dad on his farm and eventually pursuing a degree in agriculture.  Wisdom personifies humility, drive, integrity and the God-given ability to lead. Not only does he lead our labs, but is also engaged in husbandry, a certified general science teacher and so.... it did not start out like this, hear the full story and be inspired!

 She loses her dad at an early age and she's come to appreciate how hard her mom fights to keep the family together through her meager earnings from a local clothing boutique.Rosetta at times has to walk from school on some days because her mom's paycheck did not come through. Other times, she's kicked out of school because her mom is severely indebted to the school.Yet in the midst of it all, she has dreams of becoming a banker, but she realizes that making this dream a reality will take a lot of hard work. Therefore her route to banking is to first attend a vocational institution first and enhance her interior decoration skills.Rosetta will be graduating  in few months from high school and she hopes to make her mom proud.Listen and be inspired!

Talk about still dreaming when the odds might not be in your favor! The story of Georgeline is that of a young lady who's compelled to assume responsibilities beyond her years, leaving her mom at an early age to live with her aunt , peddled pastries on the side of the road to help earn income for the family. Being propositioned by men old enough to be her dad, she's remain unfazed in her pursuit of graduating high school.She wants to work in the hospitality  and airline industry! She lives for making her mom proud! Enjoy this heartwarming story!

What would it mean not growing up with your mom for most of  your childhood and later reconnecting with her on FaceBook or teaching  yourself how to cook Thai food in Liberia just to be able to offset the cost of school and help you dad? Well this is the story of Alex, an amazing young man, determined to graduate high school and help his father.Listen to this amazing story and be inspired!

Here's another inspiring story of a young lady who starts school much later than most, spent most of her early life growing up on the farm and home schooled by her older sibling.Hear Catherine passionately tell her story in a very authentic manner as she struggles to achieve her goal of a high school education, eventually making it to the University of Liberia and graduating as a Chemist, mentored hundreds of students in our Chemistry lab and is now pursing graduate school at the University of Liberia's school of Pharmacy!

Have you ever wondered what it would mean to survive a brutal civil war as a young girl and still not give up on your dreams?Hear the very inspiring story of Leona, the Biology mentor at the Institute of Basic Technology. She's mentored and inspired hundreds of high school students who are now freshmen in the local university or are pursuing other dreams after high school.Hear her passion for helping others and also her life long dream of wanting to be a medical doctor!

In this short episode, we chat with Jerry, Ruth and Alex, three students who went through our STEM program. Hear where they are today!

The first episode starts with Rodney's journey through the Liberian civil war, becoming a refugee in a foreign country and finally coming to the United States.