Introduction
Influence refers to the ability to create an impact on an individual with respect to character or potential. This paper seeks to discuss one of the people who have influenced my life. The paper will look into the life of Professor Wangari Maathai, Nobel Prize winner with the aim of illustrating how the person has impacted my life.
Professor Wangari Maathai
The basis of influence is the impact that the influencing party relays to the influenced. The person who has greatly influenced my life is Professor Maathai whose life experience and efforts to achievements mesmerizes me. Though I have never had the opportunity to interact with Wangari at a personal level, resources about her life have been convincing and influential over me at a personal level. The greatest drive to the influence that the subject has had in my life is the way in which she rose from a humble base to become a star who is globally honored.
Professor Maathai was born in a central region of Kenya in Africa in the year 1940. She managed to pursue basic education in her home area and was then accorded a scholarship to further her studies here in the United States. In the United States, she attended St. Scholastic College where she got her bachelors degree in biological studies. She then undertook her Masters degree at Pittsburg University and graduated in the year 1966. Further education which she undertook in both Germany and Kenya led to her being successful to the attainment of doctoral degree in the year 1971 (Nobelprize 1).
Further Success
The academic success that Maathai attained was just the beginning of her journey to higher success. The academic attainment of her doctoral degree was also a celebrated achievement as she was the first woman in the whole of east African region to attain that award. She later became the first woman in the same region to head a department in a university. Her major success that is more influential was her involvement in social arenas that revealed her deeper qualities.
After leaving the university as a staff, Maathai joined a National Women’s movement in her country through which she initiated a tree planting campaign for the restoration and preservation of natural vegetation. She resorted to mobilizing women at grass root levels for the activity that proved to be successful in her country. This initiative was further extended to other African countries through her efforts that gave rise to the “green belt movement”, an organization whose main aim was to preserve and conserve forests. She for these actions won a Nobel peace award (African 1).
Overcoming Challenges
The successes realized by Maathai have been through struggle with straining challenges. Her tree planting initiative was, for example, initiated at as time when she was handling her divorce. Her basic education was also attained in a set up that neither valued nor promoted education especially for girls. She however overcame all these (Rise 1).
Influential Characteristics
The properties that are portrayed by Maathai such as being optimistic, serving society, believing in change and being authentic among others are some of the factors that have made her influential in my life (Arkansas 1).
Conclusion
The Nobel Prize winner has impacted my life by the way in which she has handled her challenges to attain her success.
Woks Cited
African. Biography of Wangari Maathai. African Success, 2008. Web.
Arkansas. Characteristics of influential people. ABSC, 2010. Web.
Nobelprize. The Nobel peace prize 2004 Wangari Maathai. Nobel Prize, 2010. Web.
Rise, Susan. Unbowed (A Memoir). Friends of Kenya, 2007. Web.