Back to Our Roots: A Story of Leadership, Vulnerability, and Deserving a Spot on the Wall
JJulie-Anne Savarit-Cosenza
Co-founder & Executive Director
African Education Program
When I found out that I was being inducted into the Radnor High School Hall of Fame, my first thought was about how much the African Education Program has evolved over the years since my co-founders and I first started our work in the school’s cafeteria. This reflection inspired our year-end campaign, “Back to Our Roots,” which focuses on all of our growth and impact through our flagship Learning & Leadership Center in Kafue, Zambia.
And until the induction festivities this past weekend, I downplayed how big of a deal this induction would be and focused on how it was a testament to the Radnor community that has supported the organization’s work for so many years.
What I did not expect was how moving this experience would be and how it would prompt me to reflect on my growth as an individual and as the leader of the African Education Program for the past nine years.
On Friday, I had the opportunity to teach a class of World Studies and American History students at the high school. The class took place in the exact classroom where one of my best friendships was solidified over a graham cracker castle and where I faced the disappointment of my first B on a paper. Surrounded by students the exact age I was when we founded the African Education Program, I realized how much I have changed as an individual.
In high school, I identified as an athlete that worked hard to get straight A’s. I envied girls with straight hair and only recently came to understand my misconceptions of body size thanks to the lyrics of Jax’s song Victoria’s Secret, “I wish somebody would’ve told me that thighs of thunder, meant normal human thighs.”
Today, I identify as Julie-Anne, full stop. And Julie-Anne is multi-faceted. She is a loving aunt, sister, sister-in-law, daughter, granddaughter and loyal friend. She is a nonprofit leader whose purpose is to inspire others to create change and transform their communities. She is a workout loving, trash-TV watching, animal enthusiast among the many other things that make her up. And she still has to work hard every day to love herself.
After the class, the whole cohort of inductees was introduced in an entire school assembly. As I looked around at the other distinguished alumni in the group, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of imposter syndrome. As the youngest in the group, and now the youngest ever inducted, I questioned whether I deserved this place on the wall of the Hall of Fame.
The imposter syndrome melted away at the induction ceremony the next day. Maureen, one of our students from our flagship Learning & Leadership Center in Zambia, who is currently studying at SUNY Schenectady County Community College in upstate New York, had come down to introduce me at the ceremony.
In her speech, she explained, “Julie-Anne is a testament to the profound impact one person can have on others. Julie-Anne saw the need of youth, born into challenging circumstances, to find solace, education, and a path towards a brighter future. She saw children facing adversity and decided that their dreams were worth pursuing, their aspirations worth nurturing, and their potential worth unlocking.” Scroll down for her entire speech.
Her words brought tears to my eyes and I struggled to speak by the time I got to the podium. My vote of thanks to my teachers, the incredibly dedicated supporters of the African Education Program, and most importantly, my family, was muffled at times by the emotion of it all.
A few years ago, I would have been embarrassed to have not been able to hold back my emotions in this moment. From the first day I became Executive Director of the African Education Program, I knew I would not be a “lean in,” alpha female type leader. But I didn’t exactly know what type of leader I would be. I started with a naïve enthusiasm that has grown into resolve and determination.
And today, I know the type of leader that I am. I am a vulnerable leader that is guided by my core strengths of love and honesty. I lead by listening and empowering those around me to reach their full potential.
So in having been so raw on that podium, I realize that I was simply showcasing exactly who I am as a leader today. And when I think about everyone who came to show their support on this day, to the applause in the room when I finished speaking, I know that I 100% deserve my place on the wall of the Hall of Fame. And I know that being one of the inductees is a really big deal and I am incredibly grateful for the honor.
To support the African Education Program’s work, check out our “Back to Our Roots,” campaign!
Maureen’s Radnor High School Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Speech
Hello everyone,
My name is Maureen Mbanga.
I am from Zambia. I was born in Chanyanya, a fisherman village with no electricity or running water, over 7 thousand miles away from Radnor. I never left Zambia before coming to the United States a year ago.
Today, I am a second year student doing a degree in Business, at Schenectady County Community College in New York State.
When we think of heroes, we might envision capes and masks like in the movies, but heroes come in many forms, and today, we honor a real-life hero whose superpower is compassion, resilience, and an unyielding commitment to the betterment of Zambian Children.
So, I stand before you with an overwhelming sense of pride and gratitude as we gather to celebrate the exceptional journey of a remarkable woman, and in my eyes, a true hero: Julie-Anne Savarit-Cosenza.
My journey is very much entwined with hers. As a teenager, I had no dream of a good life. But, as a teenager, Julie-Anne had a dream of changing lives and she succeeded in changing lives of thousands and thousands of youth, me included, in Zambia. She taught us that we could dream of changing our destinies and we are doing just that.
I had no hope of going to high school until I received a scholarship from the African Education Program, the organization that Julie-Anne founded with a couple of friends when she was 15 years old at Radnor High School.
Twenty years later, the story of the African Education Program and its founder, Julie-Anne is a testament to the profound impact one person can have on others. Julie-Anne saw the need of youth, born into challenging circumstances, to find solace, education, and a path towards a brighter future. She saw children facing adversity and decided that their dreams were worth pursuing, their aspirations worth nurturing, and their potential worth unlocking.
But what truly sets Julie-Anne apart is not just her vision but her tireless commitment to making that vision a reality. Through leadership and determination, she had been mobilizing resources, finding funds, collaborating with like-minded individuals who believed in her mission, teaching, organizing and managing the local staff running programs in Zambia.
She has shown all of us, Zambia children, that she cares for us, she believes in us, and that our lives matter.
Julie-Anne: On behalf of all the Zambian youth whose life you have transformed for the best, I thank YOU.
I am very proud and honored to present to you, an incredible humanitarian, Julie-Anne Savarit-Cosenza, on this day of her induction in the Radnor High School Hall of Fame. She deserves this recognition, reminding us, of the profound and positive impact that one person can make in the lives of so many.
