The year 2023 will be remembered for its life changing experiences through the ACHIEVE training program. I vividly remember a panelist asking me how I plan to handle the graduate programs alongside teaching and administrative roles at my university. Admission into ACHIEVE program meant embracing the opportunities that came with it and making several personal reorganizational plans to meet set objectives.
Determined to work on a project aimed at addressing the HIV status disclosure gap among children living with HIV, I started contacting my assigned ACHIEVE mentors who provided step-by-step guidance throughout protocol writing and recommended other resourceful people, whenever necessary. It was majorly a passion-driven process with several transferable learning points for my professional and social life. As part of ACHIEVE, I was also lucky to join a sub-group of New York University ACHIEVE trainees and mentors that routinely reviewed everyone’s progress and provided specific guidance. That way, my stakeholder engagement, qualitative and implementation research skills were greatly improved. These were very crucial for my ACHIEVE and graduate dissertation projects. I am now more able to discuss my projects with all stakeholders with ease.
During ACHIEVE, I have learned to:
1) prioritize activities and promptly follow through on my to-do list
2) set and follow reminders
3) manage time well
4) communicate effectively and timely to all stakeholders for each activity
Each of these skills have helped me to meet my obligations at school, work and social life while learning as much as possible from the various training activities offered by the ACHIEVE program. Also, I have appreciated the beauty of triangulating knowledge from multiple sources to achieve a specific goal. Whereas highly demanding, it’s equally rewarding to acquire and apply knowledge within and beyond a specific context. It provides indisputable evidence that you have learned. With my current skills, I am empowered to soar towards becoming an independent researcher who will transform the lives of our people and provide realistic hope within the available means.