Habari (Hello)! My name is Joy Kalemera. I was born in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania located in East Africa. Tanzania is home to Mount Kilimanjaro which is the highest peak in Africa standing at 5895 meters, the Serengeti national park, Lake Tanganyika which is the second largest and the deepest lake in the world. It is also home to some of the most beautiful shore lines along the Indian Ocean and islands such as Zanzibar and Mbudya, and the only country in the world that produces the precious gem; tanzanite!
It is with great honor and pride that I hold the title of Miss Tanzania USA 2013 and I am truly humbled to be a finalist at the prestigious Miss Africa USA 2014 pageant. I moved to the United States six years ago for an opportunity to study. I graduated in 2013 and I am currently working as a Chemical Engineer in Northern New Jersey.
I am very grateful for my family and friends who have played an extensive role in my life and for getting me where I am today. Because of their constant support, love and mentorship; I am very passionate and feel responsible to positively impact other people’s lives through sharing similar or even better opportunities especially with the less privileged. I am greatly inspired by my mother among other great women. She stands as a good example of an educated, independent woman who has also made sure that all her daughters get a decent education so they can take on roles/careers predominantly dominated by men. My platform is therefore inspired by the experience I’ve obtained from the likes of my mother, family and friends.
On my last trip to Tanzania in May 2014, I visited three girls’ secondary schools to share my experience as a recent graduate and mentored them to break the stereotypical boundaries imposed on them. My ultimate goal is to reach out to an even larger African community through the Miss Africa USA platform. I would like to challenge more young girls to value the benefits of education and more so, to look into opportunities they have probably never thought of; by empowering them with knowledge and relevant tools that can be used not only to better their lives but generations to come.
Just as Victor Hugo, a French poet and novelist said, “He, who opens a school door, closes a prison”. Please join me on this journey to open more doors of knowledge, and close prisons of illiteracy.
SOURCE:MISSAFRICAUSA.ORG
2 comments:
She is gorgeous
nimempenda
Post a Comment