![\"The](\"http:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/lindseymallen\/files\/2015\/11\/TEAM.jpg\")
<\/a>After six weeks of field work in Tanzania, we traveled to Uganda so we could conduct focus groups with some of Uganda\u2019s most successful entrepreneurs in Rakai. When we arrived, I was shocked. The group was not comprised of individual entrepreneurs like I had become accustomed to in Tanzania, these entrepreneurs all worked together in a co-operative of sorts, called Sango Bay Farmers’ Association. The Sango Bay entrepreneurs pooled the income they generated from selling solar lights and clean cookstoves to create funds for their village to pull from when faced with a challenge – such as a broken roof. Most of the people in their local village have purchased solar lights or clean cookstoves, but that hasn\u2019t stopped Sango Bay entrepreneurs from trekking hours to other villages to continue to spread clean energy technology. The entrepreneurs in the Sango Bay Farmers’ Association live by three objectives, \u201cTo build a community economic support system; to promote household food security and nutrition systems; and to mobilize and empower communities for sustainable environment conservation and mitigation of climate change effects.\u201d<\/p>\n I felt that the leadership I witnessed in Rakai was incredibly special. These entrepreneurs were committed to seeing the development of not just their own community, but of the other surrounding communities in need as well.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Spirit of Magis<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cMagis\u201d, is a Latin word meaning \u201cmore\u201d or \u201cbetter\u201d. More so than a word, \u201cMagis\u201d is a call to do more, to be more, for the Earth and the people who live in it. Magis is a choice – the choice to strive for universal good. Magis encourages the commitment and dedication to social justice.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, I attended an event called Magis, hosted by the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship at SCU. Magis was the first opportunity I had to engage with social entrepreneurs, impact investors, and social change leaders. At that point, I was halfway through the first class portion of the Global Social Benefit Fellowship. I was learning about entrepreneurial solutions to the global community\u2019s toughest challenges. Speaking with people dedicated to advancing and scaling those solutions brought what I was learning to life. I was stunned to discover that Silicon Valley\u2019s prosperity and success was being used to catalyze change for communities around the world. Even those who may have not yet had the chance to directly engage with communities in need, but were striving to become more aware and invested in making a sustainable difference for those communities. I learned that no matter your background or your position, there is a way to foster change – a way to embody Magis.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The common thread<\/strong><\/p>\n Despite the fact that these two events occurred thousands of miles away, in very different corners of the world, I think that they strike a similar chord. In both cases, I was able to engage with people who were devoted to encouraging better, safer livelihoods for those in need. I feel motivated to know that there are farmers in rural Uganda and company owners in Silicon Valley working toward that same goal. I also believe these two events echo the lessons I have learned as a Global Social Benefit Fellow. One of the things I value most about the fellowship is that this journey has taught me how to be more self-aware in the interest of understanding how my talents and skills can contribute to promoting growth in the community around me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The journey continues<\/strong><\/p>\n I applied to this fellowship in search of a path to further engage with the developing world in a meaningful way. I achieved that and more. I am a more confident, determined leader. I have a better understanding of my vocational trajectory and how to work toward<\/p>\n my goals moving forward.<\/p>\n From the Santa Clara University campus to rural East Africa villages and back, the\u00a0experiences I have had throughout the past nine months has enlightened and strengthened my perspective of myself and the world around me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of the most unique elements of the Fellowship is the reflection portion. Never before did I have the opportunity to take the time to reflect upon a transformative experience and understand exactly how it has changed my perspective. As I contemplate, two experiences stand out that have become interconnected in my mind. \u201cTogether […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1257,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"qubely_global_settings":"","qubely_interactions":"","kk_blocks_editor_width":"","_kiokenblocks_attr":"","_kiokenblocks_dimensions":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","no-image","with-title"],"gutentor_comment":0,"qubely_featured_image_url":null,"qubely_author":{"display_name":"lindseymallen","author_link":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/lindseymallen\/author\/lindseymallen\/"},"qubely_comment":0,"qubely_category":"Uncategorized<\/a>","qubely_excerpt":"One of the most unique elements of the Fellowship is the reflection portion. Never before did I have the opportunity to take the time to reflect upon a transformative experience and understand exactly how it has changed my perspective. As I contemplate, two experiences stand out that have become interconnected in my mind. \u201cTogether…","post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/lindseymallen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/lindseymallen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/lindseymallen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/lindseymallen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1257"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/lindseymallen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/lindseymallen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/lindseymallen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52\/revisions\/59"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/lindseymallen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/lindseymallen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/lindseymallen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n