By Alumni Relations Department

As the Regional Operations Manager for Africa at the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) organization, Bilha handles a critical role of overseeing the day-to-day operations of the organization and ensuring their alignment to goals. Prior to this role, Ms. Asunda was the Regional Operations Officer for Africa in the same organization.

For Bilha, the USIU-Africa tagline “Education to Take you Places” was a mantra that inspired her educational journey in the university. She graduated with a Masters in International Relations in 2017 having completed her Bachelor’s degree in International Relations with a minor in Environmental Science in 2011. She also graduated with an Advanced Diploma in Human Resource Management from the Kenya Institute of Management in 2014.

During the second semester of her Freshman year in the university, Bilha applied for and was accepted for an internship position at the Embassy of Japan in Kenya. This helped give her confidence, exposure and an interest in participating in many other co-curricular activities in the university. With addition to immense experiences in the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, International Committee of the Red Cross and Internews Network, Ms. Asunda has gained expertise in Project Management cycle, Budgets and Operations with key strengths in planning, managing resources and quality assurance.

Bilha is proud of the education she received here and exposure which she believes formed the basis of her employment in high profile organizations and a career that has seen her interact with different cultures in the many countries she has visited in her line of work. Her first trip in the university took place in 2008 when she and 73 other International Relations program students, with the help of their lecturers organized a trip to Rwanda, Kigali. This was a great experience and exposure for her and all the students who participated in the trip. Furthermore, in 2009 and 2010, she and a few fellow International Relations program students had the opportunity of representing the university at Harvard Model United Nations in Boston, USA and World Model United Nations in Singapore respectively.

Bilha vows that the one thing that stood out for her as a student, was the importance that the university placed on learning outside the classroom through clubs, sports and other similar engagements. She had the pleasure of engaging in many activities that helped her realize her strengths and potential. She believes that her participation in these activities which were aligned to the academic programs in many ways, helped prepare her for the competitive world she would join after university. The PowerPoint presentations, the group work and discussion sessions both in and outside the classroom helped give her confidence, courage and a tremendous positive impact on her career and personal life.

She has this to say to current and incoming students,

“Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that can be greater than any obstacle. Enjoy your educational journey at USIU-Africa, aim to excel in your academic work even as you allow yourself to interact with students and faculty from different parts of the world. Participate in the annual Culture Week and the exciting clubs and sport activities. Embrace these out of class learning experiences alongside your academic work, check the notice boards for opportunities and apply for roles that are advertised. Be a go – getter, volunteer in different fields and don’t forget to give back to the community. Engagement in the various activities helps you not only to discover a lot about yourself but also helps you identify and work on your areas of weakness.”

Ms. Asunda, urges all students to embrace the world class holistic education in order to reap its immense benefits.