by Ruthie Leifer
As a freshman at Northeastern, I knew I wanted to have a career that would allow me to make an impact on the world around me. After finding the Social Enterprise Institute (SEI) I found the key to my career path: a strong network of students and professors just as passionate about social change as I was combined with local volunteer opportunities and experiences abroad.
After graduation I took a position as a Curriculum Writing Fellow at Bridge International Academies. Bridge is a social enterprise that sets up low-cost private schools in Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda with the belief that every child should have access to a high-quality education regardless of their family’s income. I am a part of the Ugandan Curriculum team and have worked on a variety of projects ranging from creating math and social studies lessons to rewriting textbooks and creating a new health curriculum.
Throughout my time at Bridge, I have leveraged my knowledge and skills from my co-op in South Africa at Heart Capital and my experiences in the Social Enterprise Institute to be more effective in my position. My experiences working in South Africa gave me first hand knowledge of what it is like to work in communities similar to the ones that Bridge operates in. When writing a curriculum, it is easy to revert back to how I was taught in school, but education, like many other sectors in the social enterprise space, has adapted to fit developing economies. Having experienced what it is like to work in a developing economy, it is easier for me to put myself in the shoes of our teachers and think about how I can adapt our curriculum to give our pupils the best chance of truly understanding the content.
Similarly, the knowledge that I gained from social entrepreneurship classes and volunteer opportunities at SEI has allowed me to approach challenges in my work with a critical mindset. My classes gave me insight into effective education policies and business models similar to Bridge that have revolutionized the education space around the world. This knowledge has helped me understand the impact that education can have on a community and motivated me to always strive to go above and beyond in my everyday work. Additionally, through SEI I was able to volunteer with buildOn, which gave me a different perspective on how we can rethink education both in the United States and abroad.
The experiences and knowledge that I gained as a part of SEI at Northeastern has directly impacted my future career path, starting with my position at Bridge International Academies. My dream is to continue working in the education space to create better opportunities for children around the world to have access to a quality education and achieve their dreams. Through my network at SEI, I believe that my dream is finally within reach.
