By Miranda La Rose
Dr Nneka Johnson, 49, wanted to follow in the footsteps of her parents – her mother was a teacher and her father, a social worker – and was conflicted about her career path, so she pursued studies in both fields and now successfully blends both disciplines in her field of work to better the lives of the people.
“There was always that tension,” the Guyana-born global educator told Stabroek Weekend in a recent interview from her Atlanta, Georgia home. “Then I had an epiphany some 30 years ago. I decided to do educational social work. I shifted focus from sociology and I went to Georgia State University where I did my master’s in instructional technology in 2005 to prepare to work in a school system using innovation and technology to enhance learning among adults and children.” For her educational social work, much of which included volunteerism in design thinking, particularly in Senegal, Africa, Johnson was in early October this year awarded the Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA) Award for Outstanding Contribution in an AISA Programme at a special ceremony in Nairobi, Kenya. She was recently appointed a member of the AISA board of directors and is a member of AISA’s professional learning design team for international schools’ teachers in Africa.