As teachers, my parents educated young men and women so that they too would be able to contribute meaningfully to society. Their enduring commitment to transforming the lives of others and their boundless passion for their work has, and will always serve as an inspiration to me. From the time of my birth in the small town of Kisumu, in the Nyanza Province of Western Kenya, my father had already begun ingraining into young Kenyans that education is the greatest engine of personal development. At the tender age of one, my parents, in the hopes of a better future, travelled down to Southern Africa, to the mountainous Kingdom of Lesotho. Here my parents would take on a strong role in shaping the community through a decade of teaching until our eventual immigration to Australia in 2001.
One of the earliest lessons imparted to me by my parents was that anyone gifted with the opportunities to receive education and wisdom, also had a moral responsibility to then give back to others, especially to those who were less fortunate. Over time, I began to develop a strong social consciousness and came to indulge in various sociological, philosophical, political and religious texts that further entrenched this belief.
My interests were a reflection of my experiences; born to Indian parents and raised in a rather turbulent political environment in Lesotho, my upbringing, with its rich cultural and political tapestry, has given me perspective on the importance of people working together to solve problems. They were certainly precipitating factors to enrolling in a liberal arts program and subsequently pursuing a Master of International Relations at this great university.
Amal met former US president Bill Clinton during his internship.
As my father once told me, “We, as enlightened young men and women, wield the sword of empowerment, and together we have an opportunity to make our mark in the world.” I have personally made a concerted effort to bring like-minded people together, through my involvement with the Australia-India Youth Dialogue, a forum aimed at fostering and enhancing the partnership between the youth of India and Australia. Additionally, in my new role as the Ambassador for the Melbourne University Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, I aim to to provide leadership and mentoring to prospective and current students and finally, my work as a Correspondent for ACCESS at the Australian Institute of International Affairs, has been to aide in developing a network for students and young professionals to learn, network and exchange ideas through lectures, panel discussions, professional development seminars, social events and publications .All have a crucial role to play in fostering greater collaboration between talented individuals to affect change.
Furthermore, in January this year, building on my desire to contribute to a world where peace, prosperity and security are commodities accessible not just to a select few, but to everyone, I decided to provide the tools at my disposal to the Clinton Foundation. Established by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, the foundation seeks to solve some of the challenging problems the world faces today, by building networks of cooperation between business leaders, non-governmental organisations and politicians. For Bill Clinton, solutions for social change lie in bringing people together, because he believes in the sheer goodness of the human spirit, and the ideal that given the opportunity, every individual can make a difference.
My own efforts in the New York Office of the Clinton Foundation, were directed towards assisting the Deputy Communications and Speech Writing team with research for the President’s speeches writing and editing. It was hard for me to imagine that Bill Clinton, a renowned orator, and by far one of the most charismatic and intellectual beings I have ever had the good fortune to meet, could accept my help, but even so, I naturally jumped at every opportunity to contribute to his speeches.
The former President is in great demand. His knowledge and wisdom is all encompassing and his powers are beyond mortal boundaries. He has delivered over 470 speeches since leaving office in 2001, earning a remarkable $89 million. It was certainly a pleasure to contribute to his work and I hope to apply some of the lessons I learnt during my time at the Foundation to build networks of cooperation here at home in Australia.
That said my most notable interaction with Bill Clinton was at the conclusion of the Clinton Global Initiative America conference held in Chicago. The former President came down to thank us for all our help at the conference, and shook my hand. Since he didn’t let go of my hand while proceeding to converse with others, I impulsively put my arm around his shoulder – a man I had admired for so long – and said, “ I love you Mr. President, I love you”. Very few can claim to have made Bill Clinton blush. I had pulled a “Bill Clinton” I was later told. A reference to the former President’s charismatic and affectionate personality.
If any lessons where learned through my small contributions to helping create a better world, it is that human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability. Rather, it comes through the tireless efforts of men and women willing to toil towards a greater cause. Join hands with me and let us continue to build networks of cooperation here in Australia and build on the successes of our mentors, parents and teachers.
