Alumni Spotlight: Jacob Henry

Jacob Henry is a student at Elmhurst College in Chicagoland. He has also studied at Queen Mary University of London. As a self-described gallivanting interculturalist, he rarely lives in one place for more than six months. He is currently pursuing his undergraduate degree in Intercultural Studies with minors in Educational Studies, English, Sociology, and Theatre. Jacob has worked as a summer camp nature director, admission counselor, and writing tutor among other things. After discovering that being a classroom teacher wasn't for him, Jacob traveled to Namibia and found his niche in international education policy and exchange. He plans to pursue his research interests in southern and western Africa, a place that he could truly call home.

Why did you decide to teach abroad with WorldTeach in Namibia?

Jacob Henry Teaches English to High School Students in Namibia

Jacob: It was a kind of spur of the moment decision actually. I had worked at a summer camp for 5 summers and knew that it was time to move on--that being said I had no idea where my adventure search was going to take me. I knew I wanted to work in the education sector and kept running into dead end or expired internship leads on the internet so I broadened my search to 'global.'

World Teach wasn't easy to find but once I did locate the site, I was hooked. I liked the idea of having my own classroom for two months and operating in a foreign country. Plus, WorldTeach's affiliation with Harvard and their extensive collection of volunteer blogs (including mine now!) convinced me that it was a legit program.

The only question left was where to go. My Spanish isn't great so South America wasn't an option and I wasn't keen on Poland either. I recently had a professor tell me that if I ever got a chance to got to Africa, I should take it, that it would change my life. I guess it was fate that Africa seemed like the most practical option. Between ZA and Nam, Namibia was simply cheaper.

What made this teach abroad experience unique and special?

Jacob: Where to begin? The independence and slower cadence of Namibian life was definitely a plus. Before Nam, I was a go-go-go type person, now I remember to take time. I also really liked the hitchhiking; it's an amazing convention, totally safe, and a great way to meet Namibians. Through hitchhiking you will also learn how well Namibians remember people they encounter. The food is also pretty good -- I put a hold on my vegetarianism for a few good braiis.

While all of the above perks of the culture were nice the most special part of my day was seeing learners get interested in computers and in me. Since I was only there for two months I allowed myself to have a few 'favorite pupils' and these select students would always take advantage of my open lab times and my lectures.

Computers ICT is a tangible subject -- I can still remember when some learners couldn't 'open the computer' -- but now, hopefully they are still furiously typing their names and excessively printing. My learners (Grades 5-12) were always respectful (sometimes too much so) and for the most part appreciated my less conventional teaching approaches. Additionally, even though they were my age, they understood that I could offer them the skill of computers -- but I don't think they ever quite realized how much they offered me.

They would frequently ask if I liked Namibia or the US better and I would, quite truthfully, answer Namibia. It blew their minds.

How has this experience impacted your future?

Jacob Henry Teaches English to a Student in Namibia

Jacob: How many times are college students supposed to change their major? Yeah, well -- I have beaten that number trying to find the right program. I knew that I had a passion for education but I was always pretty sure I didn't want to stay in the classroom forever. As far as I knew, in the field of education you had to be a teacher or administrator or you would be unemployable.

Enter Namibia. The fall semester after I returned to the States I changed my major one last time to InterCultural Studies added education policy and sociology minors and began to look for grad schools for international comparative education policy and exchange. So you could basically say that my WorldTeach experience altered my entire life path. One quick plug for the WT website -- they have lots of great resources for returned volunteers looking for jobs and grad schools in international ed and development and I have found it quite useful.

Personally, I suppose it gave me more confidence in my own abilities to simply survive. Living in Namibia also put a lot of US ideas in perspective and some out of favor: I now will only buy Toyotas due to their incredible performance in the desert, and I spend a lot of time looking for positions, study abroads, and volunteer options to get back to southern Africa.

What is one piece of advice you would offer someone considering teaching abroad in Namibia?

Sunset in Namibia

Jacob: Don't hesitate! If you have any concerns contact WorldTeach and they will give you straight forward answers. I know that one volunteer Skyped four times with the Field Director before departure. They want you to be comfortable. To address a few basic concerns:

  • Is it safe? Absolutely! Maybe even safer than urban areas in the US. Low gun ownership, Low crime, politically stable.
  • Will I be able to go on safari? Yup--we went to Etosha (the most underrated safari place on Earth) and actually got heavy discounts since we were teachers.
  • Exchange Rate and Living Costs? I think you will find most products cheaper or about the same as the US and much cheaper than the UK.
  • How developed is it? Roads are paved and gravel. There is 3G internet in most places. Showers are a grab bag on temperature.
  • What is the biggest danger? Hitting a cow with your car. Don't drive in the dark.
  • No background in education? Only about half the volunteers in my summer did. You will be fine. The orientation is quality.