Inside St Jude’s – (Conversations with Gemma Sisia)

What's it really like visiting St Jude's? Hear from two Australian visitors as they reflect on their experience and share how it's been to see our mission in action – all in this month's podcast episode.

Our student hosts sat down with Ms Vivian, Special Programs Senior Manager, to explore how a new initiative is helping alumni turn their innovative ideas into successful businesses.

Victoria, a top performing student with straight A's engages in a conversation with our student hosts, Loyce and Juliana, in this month's podcast episode.

John returns to St Jude's as an inspiring alum, thriving entrepreneur, engaging speaker, and climate activist. Listen to his story on our podcast.

Get a glimpse into how new students adapt to life at St Jude's in this exciting conversation between Standard 1 teacher Natalia and our new student podcast hosts, Juliana and Loyce. 

Get an inside look at daily activities at St Jude's as our student hosts, Fatuma and Lilian, sit for a chat with Mr Sangito, St Jude's Core Values and Operations Deputy Headmaster. The trio discuss everything from graduations, culture days, sports events, and much more.

This episode shines light on one of St Jude's most flourishing initiatives, the Student Art Program. Our student hosts, Lilian and Fatuma, sit for a chat with Nsajigwa, St Jude's Student Art Initiative Program Officer. An alum himself, Nsajigwa shares his experience with art at St Jude's, the emergence, growth and future plans of the art program. 

Completing St Jude's opens the way to another exciting program. Hear it yourself from Ms Catherine, Beyond St Jude's Scholarship Program (BSJSP) Higher Education Mentor as she chats with our student hosts, Lilian and Fatuma.

In this episode, our studio has a guest student host, Zahra, who joins Fatuma to chat with St Jude's agriculture teacher, Mr Ibrahim. Their discussion highlights how St Jude's holistic approach to education prepares students for opportunities in agriculture, Tanzania's biggest economic sector. Mr Ibrahim also shares some interesting initiatives at the school farm.    

Our student hosts, Fatuma and Lilian, sit for a chat with Mwajabu, the current Tanzanian Debate Championship and fellow student at St Jude's. 

Every year, St Jude's hosts the Science Fair, a special event highlighting our students' creativity and innovation. The 2024 Science Fair at St Jude's featured innovative projects from students in science, ICT, mathematics, and art.   Our young innovators from primary and secondary schools presented working models and designed experiments that addressed challenges in environmental conservation, agriculture, IT, sustainable energy, and much more.

St Jude's student hosts, Lilian and Fatuma, chat with Human Resources Manager Rehema. Rehema shares her inspiring journey to becoming a female leader in HR and highlights how St Jude's empowers its female students to achieve similar leadership roles.

Our student host, Lilian, and guest host, Lauraclara, catch up with Suleiman and Winnie, who are currently in Australia with St Jude's Founder, Gemma. The pair reflect on their early days at St Jude's, the Australian tour, and their flourishing careers.

Welcome to Season 6 of Inside St Jude's! Meet our new hosts, Fatuma and Lilian, and some exciting new segments. For Episode 1, join our guest Herieth, St Jude's alumn and teacher who opens up on her early days at St Jude's.      

On this episode of Inside St Jude's, Fatuma speaks to Ms Julieth, a primary school teacher of 10 years. She dives into student enrollment, probation processes and most importantly St Jude's new classroom renovation project. She shares how the newly renovated classrooms will support quality education for students and teachers.

On this episode of Inside St Jude's, Irene and Teresia speak to Mr Elibariki, a mentor and a leader of career clubs at St Jude's. He dives into the A Level Mentorship Program that is facilitated every year to empower A Level students with real-life skills and prepare them to embrace their next stage of academic life.

On this episode of Inside St Jude's, Dr Jane Goodall, a world-renowned ethologist and environmentalist and the founder of the Roots and Shoots club shares about her life, early life, work and activism. Also, members of the Roots & Shoots club who met Dr Goodall during her visit to St Jude's share their experience.

On this episode of Inside St Jude's, Mr Kephas, our talented art teacher here at St Jude's speaks about art and how St Jude's is committed to preserving and promoting cultural creativity by creating an inclusive and inspiring environment for students to express themselves and celebrate their roots

In this episode of Inside St Jude's, Enock, a St Jude's alum who was on an Australian tour and a book launch led by Gemma Sisia, our Founder and Director shares his experiences throughout the journey.

On this episode of Inside St Jude's, Teresia and Irene talk to St Jude's staff who volunteered to conduct House Checks for Form 5 students who were shortlisted for St Jude's scholarships. House checks are the next step after the scholarship application process is completed. The staff conduct House Checks to determine which students would benefit most from a scholarship to study at St Jude's.

On this episode of 'Inside St Jude's' Teresia and Irene speak to some of the talented scientists and learned more about their unique inventions at Science Day. Science Day is an annual event hosted by St Jude's Girls' Secondary School earlier this month. On this day, students put their creativity to work and present innovative solutions in a wide variety of disciplines including agriculture, environmental conservation, machinery, automation, art, physics, and much more.

In this episode of Inside St Jude's, Teresia and Irene have toured the school to ask staff, students and visitors about their thoughts on health, happiness, and sustainability.

In this episode of 'Inside St Jude's', Irene and Teresia speak with Ms Upendo, a teacher and Level Coordinator. This year, St Jude's welcomed 240 new Form 1 students to our two secondary schools. And since it's a new beginning for them, the school has teachers who are selected as Level Coordinators to help the new students adjust to the new environment.

On this episode of Inside St Jude's, Abdulkarim and Joanita who are Standard 7 graduates talk about their primary education and their upcoming plans.

On this episode of Inside St Jude's, Stephen and Fatina, both Form 4 students talk about their biggest milestone of completing Form 4. They are waiting for final examinations that mark the end of their O Level studies and the start of their A Level academic journey.

In this episode of Inside St Jude's, Teresia and Irene speak with Focus. He is part of the People and Culture team, which engages with the school community and strengthens the school's spirit. Focus shares about his role, how he works to bring the community together and the St Jude's Spirit program.  

In this episode of Inside St Jude's, Gemma speaks with Edgar, a St Jude's alum who is now a fully-fledged philanthropic entrepreneur, transforming plastic waste into building products. Edgar combines managing his successful business with university studies in the US, all with the goal of lifting other youth out of poverty and paving the way toward a brighter, cleaner Tanzania.

In this episode of Inside St Jude's, Teresia and Irene are talking to Ms Irene, who leads the Alumni team at The School of St Jude. She works with St Jude's students and alumni to help them choose the right career paths and shape their futures.

On this episode of Inside St Jude's, Anna and Benson, Form 5 and 3 students speak to Cathbert. He is a Community Service Year (CSY) volunteer assisting St Jude's People and Culture team. Cathbert shares his experience as a CSY volunteer and how sports contribute to the school's values.

Teresia and Irene speak with two Form 6 graduates, Nasra and Peter, in this episode of Inside St Jude's. During graduation, Nasra was named Best in Netball, and Best Leader while Peter won awards for Best in Arts and volunteering for stage decorating. The two reflect on their time at St Jude's and talk about their future plans as they prepare to embrace the next chapter of their lives… tertiary education.

In this episode of Inside St Jude's, Theresia and Irene speak with Mr Beda. He has been teaching music at St Jude's for more than a decade. Mr Beda explains how he uses music to develop his students' self-expression, self-esteem, talents, and strengths.

In this episode of Inside St Jude's, Teresia and Irene are eager to learn about leadership skills. The two students speak with Ms Kabula, who assists with communicating with the school's most generous supporters, about her role, career, background, inspirations, and aspirations.

In this episode of Inside St Jude's, we are introducing our new student hosts, Teresia and Irene, who speak to Geovin. Geovin placed first in the country for the Form 2 National Assessment last year and Teresia and Irene were curious to find out about his path to success.

The school is celebrating its 20th birthday this year, a significant milestone! In this episode of Inside St Jude's, Gemma speaks with staff members who have been at the school since its humble beginnings.

In this episode of Inside St Jude's, Gemma talks to Jane who is part of our dedicated Visitors team, working tirelessly to welcome visitors, create itineraries and ensure that visitors at the school feel at home. Get a glimpse into how you can visit one of the largest charity schools of its kind in Africa. You can take part in well-planned activities with our students and see, first-hand, our success in fighting poverty through education.

In this episode of Inside St Jude's, Gemma speaks with Alex about the new ESL Program which means English as a Second Language. The English learning program is open to all students and staff and aims to improve their speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills. Alex, who is a St Jude's alum, is one of the five ESL staff members who manages and facilitates the ESL program. Visit our website at www.schoolofstjude.org if you would like to donate to our ESL Program.

In this latest episode of Inside St Jude's, Gemma chats with Charles and Tatu, two alumni who are members of the Alumni Association of The School of St Jude. Get a better understanding of the Alumni Association and the role it plays in engaging alumni and maintaining strong ties with the school that has provided them with so much.

In this episode of Inside St Jude's, Gemma talks art with Mr Kephas, one of our wonderful art teachers. Mr Kephas has been sharing his creativity with St Jude's students since 2013. He explains that creativity goes beyond painting and sculpting – when Mr Kephas' students begin to express their creativity, there's no stopping them!

In this episode of Inside St Jude's, Gemma speaks with Mwasiti and Irene, two inspiring, future leaders from our girls' secondary school.  Despite their demanding academic schedule, Irene and Mwasiti always make time for sports and debate competitions, developing their skills and self-confidence to become the future leaders of tomorrow.

In the latest episode of Inside St Jude's, Gemma speaks to Mr Silomba, Headmaster of St Jude's Primary School. Learn about his day-to-day life as a headmaster and his eagerness to help students become young intellectuals.

In this episode of Inside St Jude's, Gemma speaks to Winnie. She's a St Jude's alum and she's now back at her school, employed in the Sponsor Relations team.  Winnie's story is a true transformation and a celebration of St Jude's spirit coming full circle.

In this episode of Inside St Jude’s, Gemma speaks to Zahra and Christopher, primary students in Standard 7. Zahra and Christopher share their accomplishments, their hopes for the future and their belief in the power of education to fight poverty in Tanzania.

On this episode of Inside St Jude's, Gemma speaks to Ester and Victor, St Jude’s Form 6 graduates who are currently in their Community Service Year as volunteer teachers in local government schools here in Tanzania. Ester and Victor will also be hosting The St Jude’s Special: An online event with Gemma and graduates... our first online fundraising event. Streaming will be available for 96 hours only, from Thursday 29 April at 9 am Australian Eastern Standard Time to Monday 3 May at 9 am.

On this episode of Inside St Jude's, Gemma speaks with Frida, a boarding parent at St Jude's for over a decade! Frida highlights what it's like to be a boarding parent for our students, her passion for her job after so many years and, the importance of a boarding school for students in Tanzania.

On this episode of ‘Inside St Jude’s’, Gemma speaks to our latest podcast guest, Avity, a Beyond St Jude’s Officer. He sheds light on a very exciting new program to help Form 4 graduates on a different academic pathway to higher education… or what is called, the Alternative Pathways Program (APP). He also gives you an insight into how The School of St Jude supports our graduates in so many ways!

On this episode of ‘Inside St Jude’s’, Gemma speaks to Shamsia and Daudi, Form 6 students who’ve been friends since Standard 4 about their future aspirations.

In this episode of ‘Inside St Jude’s’, Gemma speaks to Odemari, a bubbly and hospitable member of the Visitor Team. He has years of experience with hosting thousands of international visitors here at The School of St Jude. Usually, the school welcomes over 1,000 visitors every year; providing first-hand insight into how we are fighting poverty through education. It’s a special part of any itinerary to Tanzania! Sadly, due to COVID-19 and travel restrictions, our visitor numbers have decreased dramatically in 2020. We hope this conversation inspires you to visit St Jude’s when the world opens up again as we love and miss visitors!        

In the latest episode of ‘Inside St Jude’s’, Gemma speaks to Ericsson, a proud St Jude’s alum who has just received an external scholarship to study his Masters overseas. He is an ambitious and driven graduate with hopes to pursue a career in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Enterprise Development. Listen as Ericcson and Gemma remember the early days of St Jude’s, talk about his passions and big plans for the future.

On this episode of ‘Inside St Jude’s’, Gemma speaks to Ms Julieth Elias, a passionate primary English teacher. Ms Julieth explains our student selection process, what it’s like to teach at her dream school and juggling a busy schedule.  

On this episode of ‘Inside St Jude’s’, Gemma speaks to Mr Elibariki Malisa, a Career Guidance Counsellor based out of Smith Campus. He has been guiding and advising our secondary students on how to set their future goals, which subjects to take and what careers are suited to them. To understand and guide his students efficiently, Mr Elibariki uses personality and interest tests to determine students’ passions.

On this episode of ‘Inside St Jude’s’, Gemma speaks to our extremely dedicated and passionate Kiswahili teacher… Mr Musa Shekinyasi. He has been working at The School of St Jude for seven years, starting out as a boarding parent. Mr Musa’s biggest inspiration is his mother, who is also a teacher and instilled in him the importance of educating women. Schools in Tanzania are open and Musa is happy to be back teaching his students after more than three months away, with his focus on preparing them for their national examinations.