By Margaret Noblin
Like most Christ-centered, higher education entities, Uganda Christian University (UCU) exposes students to the Bible, God and Jesus along with rigorous curriculum in a choice of study and extracurricular opportunities.
But how do these things come together helping them to know themselves and launch successful careers? Being an accomplished student nearing graduation is a scary proposition. Being a star on campus does not translate to being a professional success.
A very bright student in social work came to me years ago. She had tremendous empathy along with strong fiscal skills but hadn’t considered a career in finance. After understanding her skills, she got her first job as a bank teller in a small city. There, she was promoted and finally ended up in a well-respected position at the main office in Kampala. She helped entrepreneurs get loans and was a creative problem-solver. When the bank restructured, they sent her to an international conference in Paris.
She transitioned to another finance job continuing to help small businesses. Along the way human resources asked her if she would like to mentor high school students on how to manage money and open bank accounts. The bottom line, she is using all her God-given skills, including social work and business.
This UCU graduate is one of about 600 students God placed in my path to mentor. Over 80% of the students that complete the process I designed get jobs they enjoy, and some even break the cycle of poverty in their families. These career professionals are becoming the middle-class of Uganda and changing the country one person at a time. They build houses for their moms, pay school fees for their siblings and become role models and impactful disciples.
Humbly, I didn’t choose this mentorship role for my life. God did. When a youthful undergraduate at the University of Missouri, I didn’t see this coming. My husband, Mark, and I got the calling to Uganda roughly two decades ago with a belief we were to be fishers of men to teach men and women to fish. The form that would take for me became a mentorship to university students. As we now reside in Dallas, Texas, it brings me great joy to see UCU students and alum practically empowered to be all God wants them to be.
Students need to know their God-given practical skills to gain the confidence to be successful.
Mentoring from a Biblical perspective is discipleship, and helps the mentee talk through the issues of life and how they fit the pieces together. There is fear of what is ahead. Most have high parental expectations that as they say “puts them on pressure.” What is ahead after university? Will I look foolish in new situations? What do I believe about the world around me? How do I live out my faith in Jesus with all the corruption and ungodly things around me? How do I handle carpet interviews (sex for jobs) or harassment? These are just a few things that have come out from years of listening to students.
As with listening to and talking to God, the same is true for those around us on earth. Most college students don’t have that as an integral part of their education.
As a follower of Jesus, my approach is holistic and Biblical. First, we need to understand our Biblical worldview to have a “true north” for God’s best for us. Then we need to comprehend how God wired our brains when we were created.
A process of writing short stories reflecting things the students loved doing, that were easy for them to do and eyewitnesses telling them “You are great at this,” lets me know the heart of the student. The revelation is fascinating to the students that complete the process. They are shown with evidence throughout their life of why they are secure, unique, significant and loved by God.
As their God-given practical skills are revealed and labeled, they begin to see the puzzle pieces fitting together.
The next step is developing their CVs(resumes), so it paints a picture of who they are on one page. It is like an interview on paper. They have shared, “I wasn’t scared in the interview. I was able to explain why I loved doing certain things.”
The best opportunities in Uganda are companies that do business internationally. They pay their employees on time, have international standards of behavior and generally pay better salaries and benefits.
Part of the process that God led me to create is viewing two presentations I take them through. One is about the basics of who you are and understanding your identity in Christ and the other deals with what industries in Uganda have lots of jobs. Most students are totally shocked when they see the industry presentation showing pictures of different large businesses. Comments range from, “I thought I had to be a doctor, engineer, lawyer, doctor, nurse, or teacher. I had no idea…” to “This is really cool. No one ever told me this stuff.”
I love “aha” moments when I see the lightbulb of opportunity go on. But then fear sets in. It takes time to refine the CVs, even though the evidence is there. They see the proof of who they are as career professionals.
Another challenging issue involves their self-image. Many of the students on their first visit still think of themselves as high school students, not career professionals. At this point, I have to have what one of our employees called “the talk” pertaining to becoming a serious adult and professional. How you dress, present yourself and your expectation of who you are and who you want to be is key. It is a reality check so they can make the transition.
I explain to them that I will help them, but they have to be willing to do the work and put in the time. I have found if they don’t, they don’t get good jobs.
Discipleship is developing a holistic intentional relationship between the two people. When I first started in 2008, I mainly listened and tried to get to know the person. As a believer in Jesus, I explained to them my starting point and thanked them for opening up their minds to share our perspectives about life. As things have changed with how we communicate, WhatsApp, text and email have been valuable tools. WhatsApp has been my favorite for sharing pdf presentations, audio explanations and making video calls to have a more personal connection. Praying together, explaining challenging situations and inquiring of the Lord can be done online.
In the past, our organization had a scholarship program, built a clinic, and started four homes for orphans. Through it all, we came to realize that mentoring youth was the most important work.
We saw more positive change from the university students and how they changed the lives of others spiritually, emotionally and physically.
Each time another student gets a job they hoped for, I feel like jumping for joy. And the credit and glory go to God.
