Stories after Amala, David Rose Jr.

We are excited to introduce David Rose Jr, an alumnus from the course, Ethical Leadership, which we ran in Trinidad with our partners Living Water Community last year. Through Amala, David then gained a scholarship to study at the Innovation Academy on one of their online courses; The Imperfect Art of Living! The purpose of the course was for youth to connect with others around the world and come together to discuss how to design meaningful lives in such an uncertain world. David is now continuing his education at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT).

Are you from Trinidad itself?

Yes, I’m from Trinidad and Tobago

How did you come to know about Amala and Living Water?

One of my leaders sent me a link to sign up for Amala when they were hosting the  Amala Ethical leadership course in 2020.

Can you tell me about your time studying the Ethical leadership course with Amala? What did you enjoy most about it?           

For me, I enjoyed the discussions, in break out rooms where we spoke about certain topics. For me that was cool because it was the first course I did apart from school itself that had these kinds of discussions. One thing I really enjoyed was the final project because you had to do the project on something that you were passionate about. It is also one where you can help the community and help others.  So for me, that final presentation that everyone has to do was really great. So I enjoyed preparing and presenting it.

Do you feel like the knowledge you gained from the Amala course has helped you with what you are doing now?

The ethical leadership course helped me with speaking with groups online and hearing myself, and getting feedback from others when I give my perspective.

Congratulations on being accepted to the Innovation Academy online course!  What inspired you to apply for the course?

Originally  the course was for 19 year olds and younger, but I was already 20. I still applied for the course even though I was 20 at the time. I applied because it looked really interesting and the course overview which Amala sent looked pretty cool. As I am developing myself as a motivational speaker, I saw it as an opportunity to develop myself, and also to fulfill one of my missions which was to spread love internationally. I thought, as I develop myself I can also help others and meet people from different countries.

Can you tell us more about the Innovation Academy course?

It was an amazing experience and something I plan on cherishing forever. The course is fun, interactive, well put together and was a host to many great and deep discussions. I was afforded the opportunity to meet and interact with a great group of young people and teachers from different parts of the world which was really extraordinary. I do hope that there are many teenagers within Trinidad and Tobago and Caribbean that can benefit from this course just as I did. Again, I am truly grateful and I appreciated this scholarship opportunity.

Have you experienced any challenges while studying on the Innovation Academy online course? How have you overcome them? 

The only challenges that I wasn’t expecting was that there were a few assignments here and there where I was late to submit and needed extra time.

What are your aspirations for the future? Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

Right now I am currently studying Aviation, Maintenance and Management at UTT here in Trinidad. I would say myself probably being an aircraft maintenance engineer and a motivational speaker.

Thank you so much for your time. Do you have any final words for us?

I saw how Amala affected my life and benefitted me in certain aspects. Because when you are in school, there is a syllabus which prepares you for a career but it doesn't prepare you for life as a whole. However these Amala short courses prepare you for life as a whole. The classroom is a limited space which prepares you for a career; however, in a career you get lost in certain things. These short courses make you give yourself a self evaluation, and gives you a sense of identity so that you are proud of who you are as an individual. No matter what other people say about you, you cannot be hurt because you will already know who you are. You can then strive to use adversity to your advantage.