I knew this fellowship would change me. That’s why I applied. Yet, even with this knowledge, I became surprised at the obvious and glaring vocational signs that came with this experience.

The transformation began Spring Quarter. I was pursuing law school at the time, and yet something about this idea did not feel right. Even as I shared my “desire” to pursue law school with various people, they would look at me in disbelief, as if I was pulling off some great lie. I was fully convinced that law school was my best route to success, but even then my entire definition of success was insincere and a stretch of the imagination. I was tricking myself into wanting a career that I did not want, so my confusion at the time was warranted.

I kept telling myself that I had done enough for others in my life, and that I should select a career based off what I wanted to do. This self-centric view was deceivingly refreshing, and made me feel like I had control. By going to law school, I could determine my own fate. I could also be secure, and comfortable. I could live the American Dream and no longer worry about being conflicted between helping others and helping myself.

From the minute I stepped onto the airplane headed for Uganda, all of these thoughts left my head, and some trigger forced me to acknowledge why I chose to pursue this fellowship in the first place. I didn’t want this opportunity to pad my resume, or to make up for not having studied abroad. Something deep down inside told me that this fellowship was a greater calling, a calling I needed to pursue regardless of how unprepared I felt. My imagination was released upon making this realization, and my desire to become a lawyer slowly faded throughout the trip until it ceased to exist.

This fellowship made me realize what was obvious all along. I am a businessman. On both sides of my family I am graced with the legacy of risk-seeking entrepreneurs. I have grown up seeing different relatives fail or prosper because of risks they have taken. For some reason I never saw this as special or unique. I simply accepted these observations as common and universal.

In high school I thrived when competing in marketing competitions. It seemed like the business lingo flowed from my brain fluidly and without hesitation. I saw business as a game. The competitions were not about making money; they involved figuring out the giant puzzle. Solutions were the end goal for me, and pursuing a business education in college seemed like the next logical step.

Despite all of these obvious notions in my life, I never saw myself as a businessman or entrepreneur. Sure I have had many ideas throughout my life, but being an entrepreneur was a family thing, and I wanted to be different. This all changed while being in Uganda. I had so much time to reflect, and I was forced to realize that fate works in weird ways. Fate provided me with the right opportunities to succeed, and working with BanaPads only made those opportunities seem more purposeful. Every step I had taken in my life was made for a reason, and the hazy fog cleared away the more I studied BanaPads and its business model.

Bbaale and the entire BanaPads family made me realize that business is not something customary and given. Business is a gift. Business helps people to get what they need. Running a business helps someone to feel a purpose in their lives. Business brings people together. All of the Champions we met were excited and eager to learn the BanaPads business, and as I wrote the Business Operations Manual, this passion I saw in them sparked a flame in my consciousness.

Every Champion wanted more out of their lives. They wanted to be business owners. This desire made me realize that independence and entrepreneurship go hand in hand. These women had dreams, ambitions, and just needed the right opportunity to fully realize their potential. I didn’t see these women as poor. They were strong, resilient, resourceful, and stubborn. Talk about the perfect makeup for an entrepreneur.

I felt inspired by all of these women entrepreneurs. I saw myself in them, despite the obvious differences in our situations. I realized that the trigger inside that pushed me to apply for this fellowship was fate. I was destined to travel to Uganda so I could witness for myself the power of entrepreneurship. Silicon Valley had made me numb to business culture, while Uganda forced me to open my eyes to the wonderful possibilities of taking action on a business idea. I’ve had the gift of business wit since elementary school, yet Uganda and BanaPads were the keys that unlocked my vocational imagination.

Now I am in the process of building my network, and writing a business plan for a mobile app in Uganda. If someone told me a year ago that I was capable of doing this, I would have scoffed at them. There is no way I would be where I am today without the relationships I made in Uganda. This fellowship was the bridge that took me from confusion to clarity, and everything seems bright as day now.

Regardless of where I end up in life, regardless of whether I fail or succeed, regardless of what people tell me, I am undeniably an entrepreneur. I was born with the gift to create, and taking a risk feels as natural as breathing. Life is always unclear, but fear is a liar. There is no point in fearing what is unknown. If fate has gotten me here, fate will continue to take me where I need to be. My imagination has made me a citizen of the world, and it is now my duty to follow my curiosity wherever it takes me.