At Home Away From Home
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Hailing from Uganda, considered the Pearl of Africa, Mugizi is currently pursuing his post grad studies in Bengaluru after completing his schooling as well as undergrad studies (a Bachelor of Science degree with Physics and Mathematics) from the prestigious Makerere University, Kampala.
as a child, Mugizi always aspired to be a teacher and later on become a professor. The thought of being a fountain of knowledge always fascinated me.
Although not the preferred choice of many in his home country, the urge to make a difference informing his choice. His dream was realized when he was appointed as a teacher at Taibah College in Uganda one of the top international schools in the country before he got onto the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) bandwagon armed with a scholarship to pursue a Masters degree.
Like many other international students, the transition from Uganda to India was not an easy one, the spicy Indian delicacies and cultural differences making the initial period quite unsettling.
“Communication was a big problem,” says the soft spoken scholar. “Sometimes I was taken aback seeing some of the students take their studies lightly.” That was then. The demands of his studies notwithstanding, the educator from Uganda has found his footing in the city and never misses an opportunity to make his contribution or be involved whenever his presence is required at the University or beyond. “I have never tried to isolate myself from activities around me,” he says. “This has helped me to fit in.”
He is an executive member of the Uganda Students Association, Bangalore (USAB) and has served in the Federation of International Student Associations, Bangalore (FISA-B).
Passionate about traveling, Mugizi has been to a host of places in India and explains that it is only through such excursions that one gets to interact with the hosts on diverse platforms. Traditional Indian weddings and the myriad festivals in the country he believes have helped him appreciate the cultural diversities of the land and the hospitality and the Indian family values are the others that he cherishes from his educational sojourn.
Along with his other interests, Mugizi is an avowed fan of football and Formula One racing. Also, the recently concluded elections in the USA captivated him for sometime. According to Mugizi, the advantages of studying away from home are immense. “It is not only what you see through the eyes that counts,” he says. “Culture is better experienced and that is exactly what living and studying in India has bestowed on me.” As an educator, I have also got an opportunity to try and understand the educational system of India and thus draw parallel comparisons with ours at home with a view of how we could do better at home.
On completion of his course, Mugizi plans to share with his countrymen the rich and varied experiences from the south Asian sub continent.
“I will be encouraging youngsters to work hard and the skills and knowledge that I have picked from here will definitely come in handy.”
WHAT HE LEARNT: The values of family, investments and the time management.
INSPIRATION: His dad (RIP). He was not highly educated but has always been a revelation in all that he does.
BELIEFS INGRAINED BY PARENTS: You can always achieve anything in life. The important thing is to decide what you want to do and make it your primary goal in life.
CHILDHOOD: reminisces about grazing cattle and competing in class with his childhood friend, Ashaaba Hanington, who is Senior Economist in Uganda. Growing up as a boy child in a rural area exposes one to certain responsibilities at a tender age and which later turn out to be valuable life skills.
READS: Nearly, every kind of book, science and fiction.
PREFERS WATCHING: Documentaries, the recent being on the life of Bill Gates, blogs in his free time and considers himself as a social critic (Visit http://rust-thoughts.blogspot.com)
ABOUT GCC: I am glad to say there is so much to see at GCC. The place is great. The infrastructure is in place. The interaction between the students and the management is excellent, great eat outs in and around the campus and the diversity is mind boggling. You get to know a place better when you visit and that is what has happened to me. This interview itself shows that GCC is keen to build bridges with students from other colleges as well.
MESSAGE: The main challenge we have in my country is youngsters make career choices based on money only and this kills creativity and innovation. So I urge everyone to identify what you want to do, especially what you are passionate about and do it to the best of your ability.
ACHIEVEMENTS
• Topper during primary school.
• Graduated top three of the class during ‘O’ level examinations
• Graduated top two of the class during ‘A’ level examinations
• Graduated among top ten of the class at University
• Best science teacher in the school
• Presented a paper at a national teacher’s seminar on the role of IT in teaching of science.
• Held leadership positions at all levels of his schooling
• Attended several seminars and conferences. The recent being the International Seminar on Global Terrorism organized by WOSY
