If you meet Aicha (pronounced Ai-sha), the first thing you might think of is how beautiful and perfect her natural kinky hair looks, how beautiful her Senegalese accent sounds (she made me want to speak French) and how poetic and gentle her ways are. This internationally recognized student leader in the US, Aisha Fall, inspires many and if you go closer, you’d find out that her roots are deep and her thoughts to always help are so many. It’s time to meet Aicha and I will let her tell you more about herself.
Inspiration knocks on my door every day; coming in different shapes, souls and coming from different experiences.
Hi there lovely lady known as Aicha, please tell us about yourself, what you study in school and what you do.
My name is Aïcha Fall, a 20-year-old weird person who is lucky enough to have different parts of Africa in her DNA. I am proud to be African but human before all. I like cultural diversities and dream about traveling around the world. I love writing (she stresses this point) even though I do not share a lot of my writings with people; it is a way for me to express my inner self. I also have lots of interests in movie making and entrepreneurship as well. I started to do entrepreneurship during the summer after I graduated from high school. I had an ice cream business for a short period. Then during my last academic year, with some classmates, I created KAYMA a bag manufacturing and selling business where the bags we use to wrap potatoes, are our raw material.
I’m starting my 3rd year at ISM Dakar (Institut Supérieur de Management) and I am studying International Management. I had the chance to experience the professional sector earlier and could work different types of jobs like home tutoring for children and web writing for some companies. Currently, I work during my free time as a Merchandiser at Kirène Group, an agro-food enterprise and at the same time, I am a sales manager in an enterprise specialized in the construction sector, Arys.
When I stand in front of the mirror, I see a living soul who realized how she had to appreciate the colorful rainbows of her life, no matter the ups and downs. I see a soul who tries to deal with life on a daily basis even on days without colours, and see the positivity in them. I am searching deeply in myself and in daily life challenges, ways to add colors on the rainbow and make this amazing view even more beautiful.
Oh My! Aicha you do so much and I love your beautiful lines about rainbows! Tell me please, who inspires you the most and why? Maybe your readers could pick up a thing or two and be inspired to work as hard as you do.
Inspiration knocks on my door every day; coming in different shapes, souls and coming from different experiences.
Recently I came to realize how I’m blessed to have such an inspiring mother and that occurred to me during a discussion with her. She told me how excited she was to see her 2017 goal achieved. Curious enough I asked her what they were about. And her answer left me in awe. She told me how happy she feels when she sees a person succeed after struggling so hard in life because according to her, any person with a great amount of motivation deserves a chance. So, her goal this year was to help at least 10 persons to get a job or to set up their own business. And guess what! She’s actually on her 4th one and it’s still possible to cross the success line concerning this goal. So I told her that even if she doesn’t attain the score that she fixed for herself, at least she is trying and it is going to be a huge success! To me there is no doubt, inspiration gave birth to me.
I said it. Now you see? My inspiration engines are getting oiled. What kind of books do you read?
I am flexible regarding books. Usually, the summary leads the way for me to want to know more about the content. But I admit being more interested in reading guides, success stories, adventures, philosophical books or true stories books. I also like science fiction specifically futuristic books and tales.
Speaking about futuristic, where would you want to travel to and who would you like to meet?
Going around the globe and touching the qaaba one day are among my greatest wishes. But if I had to start – order does not really matter. I would visit Australia, Canada, Egypt, Mauritania, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Greece, an island like the Mauritius Island or Tahiti, Nigeria, Morocco, Sudan or Ethiopia, Singapore, France, UK and the United States. I know it is a lot to start with, but that would be amazing!
And if there is a person with whom I would like to discuss deeply around a café, it would be Prince Ea. Prince Ea is a very beautiful person, true to himself. He has awakened my spirit in so many ways and inspires me to be better.
Yes, you mentioned Nigeria. Nigeria is such a beautiful place to visit and It would be nice to host you. Also, what do you love doing best?
Enjoying time with beautiful people especially the ones that I love. Having fun and crazy experiences, traveling, putting a smile on someone’s face, working on my projects and enjoying myself through my hobbies (books, movies, videos like TED Talks or pranks). Or by hanging out alone and having meditation time, eating a lot, sleeping, taking care of my relationship with God or laying down my thought and my feelings in my writings, in order to save all those special moments and create unique memories.
How do you manage school and your work at the same time? Are you a magician?
At the beginning, it was difficult for me to combine both. There were moments when I had to prioritize one over another; and even during certain periods when I am overworking, the problem comes back. But there are two key things that I have learned during these last years of experiences, it is to never have too many engagements so you can totally stay committed to a few. And the second thing is to have good organization to promote good management between the professional life and studies and bring a balance that will provide efficient and effective work on both sides.
You were a 2017 Study of the US Institutes (SUSI) student leader studying Social Entrepreneurship at California State University, Chico. What was it like studying in the US and visiting sites?
Living the American university life and learning from the American system by experiencing it was very enriching. I noticed some differences and similarities with realities in my country. It allowed me to be more aware of the amount of work to do and how I could contribute to it. I also learned to value aspects of my country that I didn’t notice before. Through this trip, I developed a new open-mindedness, realized the power of networking and the importance of being able to leave my comfort zone because this journey was a challenge that had stressed me at the beginning even if I was so excited to live it. And now, I am just happy about the results that I gained from this experience which brought to me lot of positive things today. So yes, if it requires me to jump again for overcoming the illusory limits that grieve my fear, I will!
Again you’re so poetic and I want to be like you! Back to the issue, you studied entrepreneurship, why is it important for youths to go into entrepreneurship?
Being an entrepreneur is not an alternative, it’s a mission! Especially if you have the strong desire to create what is, not to improve what is already. If you want to make an existing problem a source of opportunity, to live like an entrepreneur is a necessity!
Short but mightily said! After your trip to the US, do you have any future projects you’re working on?
Currently, I have started my 3rd year at ISM while doing my part-time jobs. At the same time, I am gathering money to set up a social business which is in the agri-food sector and if everything goes well, I will be able to open it in early October. Apart from that, I am also working on the script of a movie which I am writing. It is about child abduction and autism based on the Senegalese realities, in the hope of awakening the consciousness about the arrangements to be made.
Really? Oh my God you do so much! (Applauding) What challenges in life have you gone through that have made you who you are?
Through experiences, I have learned to deal with failure. During a certain period of my life, I had an identity problem because of a big transition that I encountered during my high school years: I left the top and fell. The great student that I was, switched with the bad one. So I lost all the confidence that I had. I felt useless because at the time, the only thing I thought I could stand out from others, was my school grades. But in reality, this fall was totally beneficial to me because those dark periods allowed me to question myself and to notice that I had inhibited my beautiful capacities by this false definition that I had about my person. I discovered a new me that was no longer defined by school grades! From this fall, I learned to rise! I realized that I must go with a positive vision, take opportunities and do my best to achieve my goals. And if I fail at some point, it’s OK. It is still an experience and from that, I should learn! And the fear to jump, to face change and experience something new without having a guarantee of success. But during those moments, I talk the fear out of myself because it will just make me regret if I let it win!
Wow! Thank you so much, Aicha. You are so wonderful and thank you for sharing this with us. It’s really nice to learn how to overcome our fears, from you.
Interviewed by Mirabelle Morah
Edited by Nten Mpama
