Hello world!!!
Happy Sunday, and I hope you and yours are doing well! I'm doing great, all thanks to the Almighty. Yesterday, I participated in the
Sierra Leonean Empowerment Network's first
SLEN Career Mentors Online Q&A Google Hangout. Upon invitation, I served as a representative for the general public; the Hangout was open to Sierra Leoneans in the diaspora and at home. According to their
facebook page, the vision of SLEN is to "Establish a conglomerate of professional initiatives for the purpose of fostering information sharing, knowledge acquisition, and resource availability for career development within the Sierra Leonean community worldwide." Moderated by Janice Williams, the Career Mentors were Kevin Thomas, Kha-Benneh Bangura, and Mohamed Dumbuya.
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| Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson |
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| SLEN flier with Career Mentors |
Ms. Williams graduated from Randolph-Macon Woman's college in 2009 with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and a double minor in Communications and Creative Writing; she's a former Peace Corps volunteer in Niger and Guinea from 2010-2012; she completed her Master's in Government and International Affairs in 2013; Janice is currently pursuing a career in Education, and is certified in English. Kevin Thomas currently works for the Defense Contracting Audit Agency (DCAA) as an auditor; Mr. Thomas performs a variety of assignments that involve the systematic examination and appraisal of financial records. Jaisie Stevens is currently in her 3rd year in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program; Ms. Stevens has been an officer in multiple organizations including Texas Physical Therapy Association, Professionalism Committee of University of Texas Medical Branch, Honor's Committee of Texas, and many more. Kha-Benneh Bangura joined the US Army upon graduation from High School, and was promoted to Sergeant in 1998 after returning from a tour of duty in Egypt; Mr. Bangura graduated at Marymount University in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems and a Minor in Business Management. He has worked for several companies, most notably Lockheed Martin Corporation; Kha-Benneh now owns and operates an I.T. and Security company, Sabi I.T. and Security Solutions Incorporated; . Kha-Benneh is also an accomplished musician with the stage name JayArr. Mohamed Dumbuya is currently working as an IT Business Analyst consultant for Avanade; Mr. Dumbuya's role is managing requirements and leading the testing of the new retail contract management system. Fun fact: Mr. Kha-Benneh Bangura was one of the judges at the 2012 Miss Sierra Leone USA Leadership and Scholarship Pageant!
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| Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson |
During the Hangout, there was a wide variety of topics discussed that were of great relevance to students, as well as upcoming professionals, and I found every question asked and comment made by the Career Mentors very helpful to me as a current student and future career woman. There was not much participation from the general audience, and I can understand because this was the first, but I hope the audience grows in future programs because this is a very beneficial platform for us Sierra Leoneans in all works of life. I can't document all questions and answers during the Hangout, I'll try my best to share some that stood out to me. After introductions and biographies were done, the Career Mentors were asked what was their reason for their career choice and what they love about it. Kha-Benneh Bangura stated that he sees his profession as an IT Specialist more of a hobby rather than a job, and Mohamed Dumbuya mentioned that he wanted a career in which he can get to interact with people. When asked what they think is an important characteristic to be successful in a career, Kha-Benneh stated that he is grateful for the disciple he received while he was in the military; Kevin Thomas stated that it's important "f
כ g
ε ajo" ("to be available and helpful" in English); Mohamed Dumbuya emphasized that it's important to be persistent, make efforts to prove people wrong, and to go above and beyond in one's endeavors.
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| Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson |
During the Hangout, I mentioned the importance of a medium such as this that SLEN has created. I also thought it was interesting that majority of the Career Mentors were in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields, and as a current mining and minerals engineering student, I could relate to a lot of the situations they have been presented with in their various career paths. When asked what challenges they have encountered career-wise, Mohamed Dumbuya stated that he had to work on his presentation, image, and learn how to communicate professionally and separate that from his personal language; Kevin Thomas mentioned that he had difficulty getting his foot in the job due to the fact that he constantly applied for jobs but never got them due to their need for someone with experience, he emphasized on the need to find ways around obstacles; Kha-Benneh spoke fondly of his decision to be mentored and that having a mentor in the military helped him tremendously in being successful.
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| Miss Sierra Leone USA 2012-2014 Ruby B. Johnson |
My question to the panel of Career Mentors was how they deal with being the only underrepresented individual in their fields; that was question was followed by some of them stating that they are sometimes the only Black or African in their occupation. In a field such as Mining Engineering, a field that is predominant of white men, I shared that there have been several instances whereby I am the only Black, African and/or Woman; in situations such as these, I sometimes feel the need or to get to the extent of saying, pressured, to be perfect because I am not there as myself but also a representation of Africans/Blacks/Women. In response, Kevin Thomas mentioned that it's okay to play to your advantage, enjoy the opportunities that comes with it, and always remember to be inquisitive and ask lots of questions because there really is no such thing as "stupid question;" Mohamed Dumbuya emphasized that I should not feel the need to carry such burden and have those thoughts, remember that I'm representing myself (Ruby) and doing that can carry the message of positively representing a group (Blacks, Africans, or women); Kha-Benneh Bangura mentioned that I must however remember that I will have to work twice or three times as hard due to this reason, so I must always prepare myself; adding to the comments of the Career Mentors, Janice Williams mentioned that I should see it as a positive because it can help me attend prestigious events, get free stuff, and get invited to exclusive programs because I am representing my race and/or sex. When asked what people can do to foster mentoring in the Sierra Leonean community, Kha-Benneh stated that he usually pulls Sierra Leonean youths aside and lets them know about their talents and tells them the importance of pursuing their dreams and making use of opportunities; Kevin Thomas stressed on the importance of members in the Salone community to be focused, have goals, set priorities, and remember that sacrifices may need to be made sometimes in order for one to achieve a goal; Mohamed Dumbuya added that it is important to set professional and personal goals, as well as long and short-term goals; adding to goal-setting, Janice Williams mentioned that it is very important to set specific goals and how they can be achieved.
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| Kisses from your Miss Sierra Leone USA 2013-2014 Ruby B. Johnson |
During the conclusion of the Hangout, I emphasized on the importance of getting experience before entering the professional arena. I used my experiences at my co-op internship with Polydeck Screen Corporation last year and my internship at Koidu Limited (Part of Octea Mining) as examples. I talked about how they helped me realize the things I love and dislike about mining engineering, how to behave in a professional setting, holding oneself accountable for their work, as well as how it helped me get a better understanding of my future career field. In conclusion, Mohamed Dumbuya spoke about the importance of networking, getting involved with organizations related to one's major in college/university because they are helpful for potential job opportunities; Kevin Thomas mentioned that one must be very mindful of who they are surrounded by, filter your environment, and make it a duty to surrounded oneself with people that are positive and uplifting, and will be an inspiration, not a distraction. Overall, the Google Hangout with the SLEN Career Mentors was fantastic, I learned a lot, and had a great time with them. Hope you can be a part of the next one, mi fambul d
εn!
Have a productive week, remember to love yourself, and do something nice for someone else!!!
Ruby B. Johnson,
Your Miss Sierra Leone USA.
