For Jessica Hajee (BEd'04), a passionate high school counsellor at the International School of Kenya, joining the Educators Abroad program at Queen’s completely transformed the course of her life. “I had never even thought about teaching abroad before,” Jessica reveals. “I was planning to go back to Mississauga, get a job in Peel Region, and build a life the same way my parents did. But I joined Educators Abroad, probably because somebody said, ‘you should take this chance’... and it literally changed my entire life.” Once Jessica built a flourishing career for herself in Kenya, she yearned to make the same life-changing experience possible for Education students at her alma mater. United by a shared dream, Jessica and her husband Khalil Hajee created The Hajee Family Travel Fellowship: a bursary that gives Queen’s students the funds to teach and learn in Africa for three weeks. “My husband and I wouldn't have met without Queen’s – this place is really important to us,” Jessica says with a smile. “And we wanted to give back, so we decided, ‘let’s do it here.’”
The Educators Abroad program inspired Jessica not only through incredible practicum opportunities, but compelling classes that changed her outlook on the world. “It really changed my perspective,” Jessica reflects. “At first I thought, ‘yeah, maybe I’ll go abroad.’ And then I met guest teachers who shared their experiences in Saudi Arabia and South America, and it made me think…’Oh, this is a way for me to see the world and not just go back to Mississauga.’ It really hooked me.” When Jessica decided to travel to Uganda for her practicum placement, her next assignment also changed her in an unexpected way. “My instructor told me I had to read Cry the Beloved Country – a novel about apartheid in South Africa and decolonization,” Jessica shares. “I remember that vividly, because I was there in Africa, and I could see the context of what I’d read in that book. It was very impactful.”
Jessica was blown away by her first practicum placement in Uganda, and she soon followed her heart to Africa as a full-time teacher. She taught students of all age divisions, and she experienced life in both Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. One day, a colleague approached her with a suggestion: I think you’d be a good counsellor. “And I fell in love with it,” Jessica smiles. After completing additional qualifications in counselling through Queen’s University and achieving her master’s degree in counselling at Adams State University, Jessica stepped into the International School of Kenya as a counsellor for high school students. “I think what really draws me to it, after years and years, is seeing the kids in really different ways,” Jessica expresses. “I see them work through their struggles, and I see them flourish, too. I think my joy comes from watching the kids figure out their dreams and chase after them. That's why I keep loving this job.”
Throughout her career, Jessica has cultivated relationships with students from vastly different backgrounds. While many of her students have grown up with wealth and security, Jessica recalls getting to know the students in her very first class, and the shock that came with learning their lived experiences. “I had students who had stayed at Hôtel des Mille Collines during the Rwandan genocide – who were drinking pool water to survive while they were waiting for the genocide to end,” Jessica relates. “And I'm from Mississauga. I had never heard of those things – I had never experienced anything like that. It was very, very impactful, to see how conflict and war and trauma can affect children. And it was really formative in my desire to stay.”
As Jessica spent more time in Africa, she was also impacted by her students’ joy, and she was touched by the beautiful teaching experiences that would never have been possible in her hometown. “In small communities, teachers are loved,” Jessica emphasizes. “How many houses have I been to where parents invite me home for dinner? It’s just this really wonderful community feel that you would never get here in Ontario.” When Jessica was counselling for the American School of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the graduating class was only twenty-five students. “So I would invite the whole class over for dinner at home,” Jessica smiles. “It was like a senior seminar, learning how to cook before they went to college. We all cooked together in my kitchen – some students made starters, some made desserts, some made mains. And we'd all sit down family-style and have dinner together.”
While Jessica’s current school is too large to allow for close-knit gatherings, the organization offers school-wide intercultural trips every year. “We go on different trips all around Kenya,” Jessica enthuses. “The grade 9s go hiking. Next year, my daughter’s going to go to the coast and do a conservation trip at the beach with turtles, litter clean-up, and lots of sea fun, too. And then they go bike riding in the Mara. There's all kinds of different ways to experience Kenya and learn about traditions there.”
Jessica is eager for Queen’s Education students to gain similar cultural experiences with the help of the Hajee Family Travel Fellowship. “There are so many negative stereotypes around Africa, and we really want to have people come and break down some of those barriers,” she enthuses. “To help people see that Nairobi is a bustling city with an amazing nightlife, with wonderful bars, amazing music, amazing art. It's not just what you see on the news. That was one of our huge motivators – people need to see the richness and all the different kinds of experiences that you can have here.”
Already, Jessica has seen two cohorts of Queen’s Education students moved by the travel bursary. “When we took the first group out for dinner, their faces were kind of like, ‘oh my god, this exists here…’ It's an amazing little spot,” Jessica recalls. “They come to the International School of Kenya, and they see a lot of privilege. They go on safari, and they do all kinds of great work. And then they go to Kibera Slum, which is the largest slum on the continent. And so…. they see both. To see their perspectives changing, and to see them thinking ‘oh, okay, this isn't what I thought it was’...We feel really lucky to have met the two groups of students that used the bursary, because it has been exactly what we hoped for.”
For teachers and teacher candidates who are interested in going abroad to teach in Africa, Jessica has two pieces of advice: do your research, and go for it! “And if it doesn’t work, you can always come home,” Jessica offers. “If I hadn't had that mindset, that I can always come home, I would be in Peel Region living my ‘other life.’” So take the leap, Jessica encourages: your other life might just be waiting for you.
About the Author
Juliette Silveira is a final year Education student at Queen’s University. In 2024, she completed her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Degree at Queen’s University with a Minor in Dramatic Arts and a Major in English Language & Literature. In July 2025, she will complete her Bachelor of Education degree through the Concurrent Education program. Juliette has spent her time at Queen’s learning to become an Intermediate/Senior Drama and English teacher, and she has focused on Indigenous teacher education through the ITEP program. Passionate about cultivating students’ creativity and critical thinking, Juliette is eager to bring her experience as an actress, musical theatre teacher, creative writer, and literary analyst into her classroom.
