Continuing with the Executive Members Spotlight Series, we are now introducing a new “doer” and “go-getter”.
Secretary and Country Representative- United States of America
When you mix Jamaica, an interest in Politics and aspirations to give back and create opportunities, you get Tajae, our recently-appointed Secretary and the US Country Representative.
A Jamaïcan Servant Leader
Tajae Francis, born and lived in Jamaica until the age of five before moving to the US in pursuit of better opportunities, is a Political Science Graduate. He got his BA in December 2018 with a concentration in International Relations from the Georgia Southern University.
Tajae is an exceptional leader. He has been involved with Rotary for years now, and has served as the President of the Rotaract Club of Georgia Southern University and has been proudly carrying on the service mindset for a while. According to our Executive Director, Nipuna: “Tajae is someone I totally depend on. He’s a workaholic who knows how to have fun. Tajae believes in our vision and is extremely passionate about volunteering. I’m sure he’ll end up being the U.S. President and he will do a great job at it! In the meantime, he will probably be Rotary President too! Tajae is a great guy and I’m very thankful for his service so far.”
Tajae is the kind of person who carries on the conversation tirelessly. He articulates his words perfectly and knows what to say and when to say it. Most importantly, Tajae is passionate about what he does. He is certain about his capabilities to plan for change and, in the long run, execute it.
Getting involved with IVolunteer
Tajae first came to IVolunteer as the US country representative in April 2018 when he was senior in college. In fact, he and Nipuna knew each other for years and were both in the Student Government Association. He had already known about the organization and its work before getting involved, and did not hesitate when Nipuna wanted him to get onboard! When asked about why he decided to join, Tajae made it crystal clear that he wants to give back to his community and his country-Jamaica- at large. He emphasized that when you come from a different country with the understanding that not all of your people can have access to the opportunities you now are part of, you want to change that, which fit with the mission of IVolunteer in trying to connect people to good causes.
A Lobbyist in Cyber Security
Tajae dreams big and aims high steadily and confidently. He plans to continue his involvement in state government and apply it to cybersecurity, as the world is getting more digital than ever. His ultimate goal would be to establish his own political consultancy and lobbyist firm for immigrants. In fact, as IVolunteer is in the Tech non-profit industry, his aspirations fall perfectly with the experience he is currently building up. Through that, he wants to help his country and develop “some type of way to give the same opportunity to them”. Tajae is determined to take all the skills he has and will acquire and implement them to benefit generations to come. He always says that it is “all about the beneficial impact for me”.
A Piece of Advice?
When asked about any advice Tajae would give to anyone reading this article, he said: “Change isn’t something that is sudden. No community is perfect and each has its flaws. Your volunteering might not solve the issue right away. Change happens over time. Don’t be discouraged that things aren’t happening quick enough or that not enough is being done towards human suffering. Continue what you’re doing and people with the same mindset will join. The next thing you know, you have a snowball effect of so many people volunteering”. Keep that in mind as agents of change!
If you would like to get in touch with Tajae Francis, you can e-mail him or find him on Facebook.
IVolunteer International is a Gold Seal nonprofit organization on Guidestar. Operating from Savannah, Georgia, IVolunteer International connects volunteers to volunteer projects around the world. Since 2017, IVolunteer has connected over 3,000 volunteers worldwide. In 2019, World Trade Center Savannah selected IVolunteer International as finalists of the Peace Through Trade Competition. In 2020, IVolunteer International will develop and launch a geo-connecting mobile application which will be available to volunteers around the world.
