Dictor's Journey to Cybersecurity: How English is Paving the Way to His Dream

Dictor Olame is a 23-year-old Sudanese refugee currently living in Kakuma. He is resilient, confident, and very hardworking. He has always had a passion for education and is of the opinion that ‘Education is the Key to success.’ 

Olame first came to Kakuma in 2016, fleeing his country for safety. Coupled with seeking safety, he was quite adamant in his educational pursuits. He got to join a local primary school where he completed his Primary education in 2018. From there, he proceeded to join a high school in 2019 and completed his studies in 2022.

Immediately after he completed high school, Olame joined Donbosco Technical Institute and took a basic ICT course, which he completed in 3 months. He quite enjoyed the course and wanted to pursue something in the IT field, specifically cybersecurity. With his mind set on this, he sought to apply for the Bachelor of Arts in General Studies with a major in Cybersecurity. This was in early 2023.

The Bachelor's program was offered by Jesuit Worldwide Learning, one of the academic institutions hosted by Resilience Actional International in the center. Dictor applied for the Bachelor's program and was called in to do an English proficiency exam before being enrolled - he flunked the exam. It is here that he was advised to take the Global English Language (GEL) course with RAI.

Dictor telling his story

Dictor took up the opportunity, and in May 2023, he enrolled in the GEL program. The program lasted for 3 months. He was eager to improve his English proficiency skills and build his confidence when interacting with people. Through this program, Olame gained valuable knowledge and skills. He improved his English proficiency and also improved his writing skills. He was also able to work on interpersonal communication; interacting and engaging with people on a personal and professional level.

His new-found knowledge and skills fueled him with the confidence to apply for the second time for the Bachelor program, and this time he passed the English proficiency exam and was able to enroll in the program. He enrolled in the program in late 2023, after completing the GEL course program. In the bachelor’s program, Olame has also been able to work and write research papers and essays. He remembers one of his best research papers is one he wrote on enhancing food security through home gardening. His lecturers greatly commended him on a wonderfully done research paper. The research paper focused on Home gardening, what is it, why it is important, what crops to plant, and how it will enhance food security in the camp context.

“Were it not for the GEL course, then I would not have been able to enroll in the bachelor’s program,” says Olame.

Olame strives to be an all-round individual. Best in academics and also able to thrive in the job market. As he was undertaking his bachelor’s at JWL, he was still job-seeking. Growing up in a refugee camp, he depended a lot on humanitarian for his basic needs but he felt it was time to find a sustainable way to earn an income as he studied. This idea led to him seeking formal employment within the camp but was faced with rejection. 

Earlier this year, he joined the RAI alumni mentorship program. This was a one-week workshop that aimed to empower alumni with job-market skills and interview skills. His facilitator asked that he join the workshop, which he did. Through the workshop, he was taught how to write a resume and how to answer interview questions among other things. 

“Throughout the mentorship sessions, I marveled at how we were taught to write better resumes and to better answer questions during interviews.”

Olame went ahead and applied for a Learning assistant position advertised. With his increased knowledge and confidence, he was shortlisted for the interview and he landed a job as a learning assistant under the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). 

“All of my academic journey and success started with the GEL course I took, which opened doors for me,” Dictor explains, “As I work towards a career in cybersecurity, looking back, every step from the GEL course has been building up to a future career in cybersecurity.”

Olame envisions a very bright future for himself, doing what he loves. Growing up in the camp, he has seen how idle youths end up engaging in unnecessary activities that end up ruining their lives. It is his wish that Resilience Action International expands the centers to be able to accommodate more students at a time because a lot of people would benefit from such courses. 

“As the future unfolds, I urge every youth to take opportunities that are available in the camp,” urges Dictor Olame, “Every step we take, draws us closer to achieving our dreams.”