Since 2002, James P. Cummings has cultivated expertise as the founder and president of the Kijana Educational Empowerment Initiative. Notably, the Kijana Educational Empowerment Initiative is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that invests in Kenyan schools – particularly public schools, primary schools and secondary schools – to assist with basic resources and provide students and teachers with opportunities to build cross-cultural connections with American school systems. Impressively, Mr. Cummings and his organization established their first independent school in January 2020.
Mr. Cummings developed the idea to create the Kijana Educational Empowerment Initiative following his many experiences working in western Kenya 35 years ago, where he lived in a region that did not have electricity or running water. An educator by profession, he taught students in Kenya for 15 months, during which time he fostered his passion for teaching. As an undergraduate alumnus of Macalester College, an educational institution that placed an emphasis on international travel, Mr. Cummings desired to travel to Africa, leveraging his bachelor’s degree in history and international studies to attain a deeper understanding and advanced knowledge of African culture. He found much fulfillment while teaching in Kenya, which he would later utilize during his founding of the Kijana Educational Empowerment Initiative.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Cummings taught at several schools, including Ebusiloli Secondary School from 1987 to 1988, The Prairie School from 1989 to 1993, and The Benjamin School from 1995 to 2009. Before his academic retirement in 2019, he served as a history teacher at Seminole Ridge Community High School for six years. During his teaching career, Mr. Cummings pursued additional educational credentials at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, earning a master’s degree in African history in 1995.
In accounting for his success, Mr. Cummings credits his passion and abiding commitment to his community. To wit, his desire to make a genuine difference in others’ lives fostered a deep sense of persistence, which he has leveraged to continue changing students’ lives in Kenya. Among his many professional milestones, he is perhaps proudest of being a leader in global education, having brought more than 50 American students to Kenya in the past 20 years. Notably, many of his students have expressed gratitude as they felt inspired to experience African culture after witnessing his lectures.
Looking toward the future, Mr. Cummings aims to continue fundraising to build a library and media center. He and his team at the Kijana Educational Empowerment Initiative have already started construction on a two-story school, which he hopes will be completed in three years’ time. As a testament to his success, he was honored as an Educational Visionary by Education 2.0 in 2022 and 2024 and received the Charles J. Turck Global Citizen Award from Macalester College in 2022 and the Distinguished Service Award from St. Mary Central High School in 2013.
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