By Ousmane Coulibaly, Operations Coordinator

Just like young people here in the U.S., Mali Rising students have big dreams for their future. I recently met a Mali Rising alumni – Moussa Doumbia -- with a very specific dream and he is well on his way to making it real. He is reaching for the stars, with a vision of becoming a diplomat in Mali’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Moussa graduated from Mali Rising’s Lareen Mellor Middle School in the village of Kassela. Even before he graduated, Moussa was dreaming big. That is why right after graduating he headed to high school, where he obtained his Baccalaureate in 2021 in Social Sciences.

Next up? College! After thinking about his career goals, Moussa decided to go to the University of Bamako. Moussa's main goal is to become a diplomat and work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. To achieve this goal, he knew he had to study international relations at the Faculty of Administrative and Political Sciences (FSAP) at the university.

Currently, Moussa is doing his first year at the University. He promises to continue his studies until he graduates. From our conversation, I could tell he is a very courageous and inspired student so I feel certain he will in fact graduate. He would like to become a diplomat in order to strengthen relations between Mali and other countries in the world.

Moussa’s example can serve as a lesson to Mali Rising Foundation students who do not yet have a clear career path. Many Mali Rising Foundation students get confused after graduating and are unsure where to go from there. I look forward to sharing examples of people like Moussa who set a clear goal and follow it with deep dedication with our current students as they wrestle with where to go in their life.