Uniting JA Alumni Leaders Across Continents
July 21, 2025
The third session of the JA Alumni Leaders Academy Global, hosted by Dana Khairallah, Alumni Community Manager at JA Worldwide, turned the spotlight to Africa—bringing together bold voices, new visions, and a shared commitment to rebuilding a stronger alumni network across the continent.
These sessions are held by invitation only for alumni leaders and engaged alumni network staff who are actively shaping the future of their regional communities. For everyone else eager to follow along, our blog posts offer a glimpse into the conversations, milestones, and energy driving alumni leadership across JA Worldwide.
Unlike previous sessions that showcased regional milestones, this conversation took a different shape—it was reflective, raw, and co-created in real time. Under the theme “Building Back Better,” Africa’s alumni community gathered not just to share progress, but to dream forward.
Leading Alumni Voices
Kicking off the call with warmth and intention, Dana passed the mic to two global alumni voices—Keisha from Indonesia (find her on Gather, the JA global alumni community) and Camilla from Guam (find her on Gather) —and inviting participants into a conversation that was both playful and profound, focused on identity, challenge, and how leadership evolves over time.
Keisha chose the wolf—not for its fierceness, but for its sense of community and interdependence. She shared how wolves thrive in packs, with each member playing an essential, often rotating role—leading from the front, protecting from the back, or anchoring in the middle. To her, this is the heart of real leadership: stepping forward when needed, stepping back when wise, and always trusting the strength of the collective.
Keisha then traced her own JA journey from being a high school student participating in the JA Asia Pacific Company of the Year competition during the height of COVID, to turning that experience into a core part of her university application. She went on to co-lead the ambitious 2022 Asia Pacific Alumni Conference in Bali with just two teammates—traveling between islands and cities to bring together 20+ alumni. Today, she leads a team of 36 across 12 Indonesian cities—and what makes her most proud isn’t the scale, but the shared vision, trust, and innovation they’ve built together.
Camilla, meanwhile, embodied the bee—both the humble worker bee and the empowered queen bee. She spoke candidly about starting JA as a freshman in Guam, younger than most participants, and immediately labeled as “the little sister” due to her older brother’s reputation in the program. That title made her feel overlooked and underestimated, but instead of shrinking, she used it as fuel.
She became the youngest Chief Operations Officer in the program and was awarded second place for her leadership. As she grew, so did her role—eventually becoming Vice President of the JA Guam Alumni Network. To Camilla, adversity is the spark of transformation. It shaped her into a leader who speaks up, owns her voice, and advocates for those who still feel too small to be heard.
“Use adversity as motivation to prove others wrong,” she said, “to think outside the box, and to set your own narrative against the status quo.”
Together, Keisha and Camilla didn’t just speak about leadership—they modeled it. With honesty, heart, and humor, they reminded us that leadership isn’t a role or a destination, it’s a journey.
A New Chapter for Africa
At the heart of this session was a special alumni panel hosted by Bode Maxwell (Gather), President of the JA Nigeria Alumni Network. With calm authority and deep intention, Bode opened the discussion with a metaphor that landed powerfully: “Rebuilding after a storm is messy. But it’s also a chance to start stronger.”
This wasn’t a typical panel. It was centered on the theme “Building Back Better”. The conversation called alumni to co-create a future that’s grounded in local realities and powered by a collective, pan-African vision.
The panel featured four powerful alumni voices—each representing a different stage of growth, and a different perspective on what’s needed most: · Pooja Teeruthraj from Mauritius (Gather), a student and President of the JA Mauritius Alumni Network, offered a stirring reminder that size does not define impact. In a country where the alumni ecosystem is still emerging, she is focused on building it from the ground up—with a bold belief in the capacity of young people to lead from day one.
“Alumni shouldn’t wait to lead. They should be empowered to lead now.” · Ted Mwatha from Kenya (Gather), President of JA Kenya Alumni, took a systems-thinking lens. He spoke candidly about the risk of alumni energy being wasted without strong operational foundations—stressing the need for succession plans, clear mandates, and sustainable governance that can outlast individuals.
“We’re not just planning events—we’re building a strategic partner to the JA office.” · David Ojuk from Tanzania (Gather), a global youth advocate and President of JA Tanzania Alumni, shared from a place of resilience and realism. In a country where alumni structures are still nascent, his focus is on seeding the roots — mobilizing graduates around shared values,
creating continuity after graduation, and building long-term bridges with the local JA office.
“We may have limited resources, but we have unlimited commitment.”
Stephen Banda from Zambia, President of JA Zambia Alumni and an entrepreneur, was introduced as a dynamic voice bringing entrepreneurial insight into the alumni space. Although technical issues prevented him from fully sharing, his spirit was echoed by the other panelists: that Africa’s alumni are full of readiness, resilience, and resourcefulness—and what’s missing isn’t talent, it’s the structure to match it.
As the panelists spoke, a clear vision began to emerge. One not focused on uniformity or replication, but on regional relevance—alumni networks that reflect the unique needs, cultures, and capacities of their countries, while still staying connected to the larger movement.
Together, they made one thing clear: Africa’s alumni are no longer waiting for change to arrive. They’re already building it.
Culture as Connection
To end on a joyful note, the session moved into a fun, interactive segment: a cultural guessing game!
From vibrant food dishes to colorful traditional wear and local landmarks, alumni shared photos and asked attendees to guess their country of origin. The chat exploded with excitement, pride, and laughter—proving that culture connects us, no matter the distance.
Beyond the game, this was a celebration of heritage, of identity, an of the deep roots and rich diversity that JA Africa alumni proudly carry into their leadership journeys.
What’s Next
Next up, we move our spotlight to Europe, showcasing new voices in the global leadership story. Stay tuned!