Rockefeller Leadership Fellow: Inviolata Chami '16

 This series introduces the 2015-2016 Rockefeller Leadership Fellows. Each fellow reflects on why he or she wanted to be a part of the program and what aspects of leadership most interests them.

The prospect of change has always excited me. As a child, this meant being open to changing my dream job from a sculptor to a lawyer at a whim, or happily moving to a different school. As I grew older, change began to mean the courageous efforts people make to leave a positive impact on the globe, and I came to the conclusion that I too wanted to be a change maker. Reflecting on my leadership experiences at Dartmouth, I have realized that a passion for change cannot bring about action if certain values, skills, habits and resources do not complement it. I look forward to the Rockefeller Leadership Fellows Program because I want to make a greater effort to strengthen my leadership style to make an impact in the future and address the inner conflicts that I face as a leader.

I am highly interested in the audacious aspect of leadership that pushes leaders to take initiative, be innovative and stand up for what they believe in. I would like to use this opportunity as a Fellow to reignite the audacity that brought me 7500 miles away from home to be at Dartmouth, and equip me with the tools that will help me turn my passion for economic development and gender issues into action. Ultimately, I would like to use these experiences to pursue a career in international development and in the future, public service in my home country of Tanzania.

Since my freshman year, I have been involved with the Dartmouth African Students Association (DASA), an organization meant to foster a stronger African community on campus, and served as president throughout my sophomore year and junior fall. To improve my abilities as a leader on and off campus, I have participated in the Rockefeller Center's Civil Skills Training program and the Management and Leadership Development Program. I have also attended multiple conferences in the New England area focused on creating a new generation of African leaders in politics, business, and development. I hope that this year's RLF delegation will find my intercultural experiences and passion for development a unique quality that will contribute to this dynamic program. I am confident that the program will provide me with an opportunity to challenge myself, learn from other like-minded leaders, and will prepare me to be the change that I wish to see.

Invo Chami '16 is an Economics and Women and Gender Studies double major from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She graduated from Armand Hammer United World College in New Mexico, where she was a member of the student council and a resident advisor in her senior year of high school. Invo was also a certified HIV/AIDS peer educator and volunteered teaching reproductive health education in local high schools in Santa Fe, Taos and Albuquerque. At Dartmouth, Invo is vice president of the Dartmouth Minorities in Business Association, a member of the Inter-Community Council and was president of the Dartmouth African Students Association in her sophomore and junior year. After graduating, she hopes to pursue a career focusing on entrepreneurship and international development.