Government Directory

From an African Teacher to a Technology Expert

By Ibrahim Sheriff

I am proud to have transformed my life from an African teacher to an Information Technology expert. In 1995, I graduated from a rural teacher’s college in Kenema, eastern Sierra Leone with majors in Social Studies and Language Arts. I thought in two high schools between 1995 and 1997 while also serving as an acting principal of a high school (the youngest principal in Sierra Leone at the time - 24 years old.

A brutal civil war which broke out in 1991 trademarked by the brutal killings of innocent civilians, amputation of women and children, burning of towns and villages, and raping and abduction of women and children, forced me and my siblings to flee for our lives in neighboring Guinea. We finally got resettled in the United States with our father in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as refugees in April, 2000.

In June, 2000, I started a computer course for the first time not having any clue how to move a computer mouse. I entered the Computer Learning Center located on 36th & Market streets to study for Software Application Specialist diploma. The school closed down - then the Cittone Institute opened on the same campus. I entered there again and continued the pursuit of my career. It was here that I set up my first ever e-mail account which I use up till date. I graduated from Cittone Institute in 2002 as one of the outstanding students with a Diploma in Software Applications.

I decided to transfer my knowledge to young people in my home country - Sierra Leone. I begged for unwanted computers from Cittone Institute and JEVS Human Services. Their donations helped me set up the first computer school in Kenema, Sierra Leone teaching computer basics and Internet usage. The school has now grown and about to undergo a major transformation with the help of generous people in the United States.

I continued my educational career at Peirce College pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology with concentration in Technology Management. I graduated with an Associate degreee in June, 2007. I am now taking my final class towards my Bachelors. I hope to graduate from Peirce College with my Bachelor’s degree in December, 2008. My future plan is to immediately enroll at Drexel University to pursue the Healthcare Informatics certification.

Currently, I have embarked on providing a satellite Internet service to thousands of Sierra Leoneans who are eager to use computers to access the Internet - a new concept that is just arriving in the country. While doing that, I have just got an EIN number from the IRS for a non-profit entity that I have set up to raise funds in the United States to support my school in Sierra Leone. Very soon, my non-profit organization will be getting a 501C3 status from IRS further exempting us from tax deduction. All of this is possible as a result of the humanitarian and helping hands of generous Americans who have come together to help make this effort a success. They are passionate about helping the young folks of Sierra Leone to learn the computer trade.

The school in Sierra Leone is called the Sherifam Computer Institute, located in Kenema town. This school teaches a twelve months’ course in Microsoft Office software applications (word, excel, powerpoint, access, publisher, Outlook and Internet Explorer), English Communications and Career Development. The students spends ten months in the classroom learning the theory and applications; and two months on internships in the civil and business offices in Kenema, Bo, Sierra Rutile, etc. Upon graduation, the non-profit here in the USA awards each of the graduates scholarships to take the MOUS certification exams to qualify them to work in any modern office setting in the world. The target population are single parents, early school drop-outs and child soldiers.