Am I an entrepreneur?
Of course, I am an entrepreneur. I aim to solve problems and start a business. Also, I act regarding
solving community issues with my father’s inspiration. From a young age, I was interested in technology
and innovation. When I was 12, I aimed to develop a technology solution and then commercialize it. This
aim is the common denominator for entrepreneurs. My entrepreneurship was inspired by my father,
whose entrepreneurial spirit has inspired me since I was young. My father always thinks of designing
solutions for problems in his society. My father started a small business in the Democratic Republic of
Congo that produced soaps. He called this business “SAGEO,” a short form of “Savon Géomètre” in
French, meaning geometer soap. He also created RTTS, a community radio station for refugees in
Tanzania. I am confident that I am an entrepreneur because I can see problems in my community and
initiate action to bring solutions. Perceiving the digital divide in my refugee community in Tanzania, I
started a computer literacy center to teach information technology literacy to my fellow refugees.

What is success?
For me, success is to achieve a goal. Success is accomplishing an objective, early failure, and resiliency. I
am successful if I achieve a particular purpose. Let’s say I aim to get a bachelor’s degree by 2025 with
critical engineering skills; I will be successful if I graduate with my bachelor’s degree by the year and if I
can showcase essential engineering skills. The fear of failure is an absolute failure. Learning from
mistakes and being resilient make people successful. Being successful is being willing to learn and being
resilient. Trying is essential for success.

Am I a self-starter? How well do I follow through on my ideas?
Indeed, I am a self-starter, and I try my best to make my best solutions thrive. I am self-motivated by
nature; I don’t wait for someone else to tell me to do good when I have the opportunity. But I have a lot
of ideas for many problems. Sometimes, I drop some concepts; in other cases, I see myself lacking a
robust framework that can help with following ideas and organizing them. I can
independently initiate and follow through on my thoughts.

How does ODU view entrepreneurship?
ODU views entrepreneurship as more than starting a business. According to ODU, entrepreneurship is
about problem-solving, identifying past, present, and future issues, and taking action to solve these
issues. Anyone can be an entrepreneur and creative. The diverse landscape in entrepreneurship makes it
more possible to tackle problems from several perspectives, which benefits those who need the
solution.

What is my role in this ecosystem?
My role in this ecosystem is to play the crucial role of problem solver. I can contribute to solutions by
learning purposefully and applying my knowledge to solve problems at community, regional, national,
and international levels. I aspire to be more of a producer than a consumer.