A New Chapter of Service at UC Berkeley | Pechuqui Laurata

𝗔𝘀 𝗜 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘆, 𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿: "𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑼𝒃𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒖".

That advice stayed with me because it echoed lessons I had already begun living through Open Dreams Educational NGO : that leadership is not measured by the number of people who follow you, but by the number of people you empower.

𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲–𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟳 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 Mastercard Foundation 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 University of California, Berkeley.

As I step into this role, I do so with deep appreciation for Victor Ochieng , the outgoing Scholar Council Representative. Through his generosity, mentorship, and commitment to serving others, he demonstrated that leadership is not defined by a title, but by how we treat and show up for people.

That is the spirit I hope to carry forward. I look forward to learning from every scholar because every one of us brings unique experiences, ideas, and perspectives that enrich our community. In doing so, I hope to amplify the incredible stories within our community and build a stronger network where each person's success becomes our shared success.

Thank you to the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program team for your continued support, to Victor for setting such a strong example of servant leadership, and to my fellow scholars for your trust and confidence. As we begin this journey, I look forward to working alongside the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program team and my fellow scholars to strengthen our community at Berkeley and across the Mastercard Foundation network, continuing to open dreams together.

...