Alumnus Profile
Kozhi Sidney Makai
The Woodlands, Texas
BA in Speech Communication & Psychology, Sam Houston State University, 2002
MABC in Leadership and Influence, Jones International University, 2003
PhD in Applied Management & Decision Sciences, specialization in Leadership & Organizational Change, Walden University, to be awarded February 2006
Current profession: Adjunct Professor of Speech, Business, Diversity Studies, and Human Development
Current employers: North Harris College and Davenport University Online
Kozhi, you are originally from Zambia. How did you come to move to the United States?
I am Zambian, through and through. I often tell acquaintances and audiences, “I was born and raised in Zambia but grew up in Texas.” I moved to Texas when I was 19 in hopes of landing an athletic scholarship (I played professional/premier league basketball in Zambia for five years). What I got was even better! I got an academic scholarship that allowed me to attend any college in the United States! As they say, the rest is history.
And how did you learn about JIU?
I was contemplating a graduate degree in communication at the end of my bachelor’s degree but was also pretty convinced that I wanted to study psychology. I began a master’s program in Industrial & Organizational Psychology and was on my way to a fast track in the PhD program after two quarters, but changed my mind and decided to get back into the communication field. I was thinking about moving to the East Coast (Penn State) but did not want to be far away from my American parents and church family. One day, a packet from JIU came in the mail (I did not ask for it) and I asked myself, “How come I did not look into these guys earlier?!”
What did you hope to accomplish by pursuing your master’s degree?
I pursued my degree because my plans and goals are to return to my homeland and bring about quality, visible change in the lives of young people. My master’s degree helped give me the required knowledge base, understanding, and credibility needed for me to perform the tasks that will allow me to effect this change.
Tell us how your MABC from JIU changed your career here in the U.S.
When I was working on my MABC degree, I was a Guest Services Team Leader for Target Corporation, earning $13 an hour. Now, I am 27 years old, a college professor at two different schools (one on-ground and one online) and my earning potential has literally skyrocketed!
In what other ways did your education from JIU change your life?
I think at a higher level than ever before! Most people think that going to school online is “easier” than going to school on ground but they are mistaken! It takes a lot of discipline to stay the course as you work on your degree online. JIU allowed me to fast track by working on classes continually! Now, tell me: Where else can you do something like that?
You completed your degree in eight months, a notable accomplishment. How did you manage that?
Basically, I did not have a life! No, seriously, I had a goal in mind and, as my wife likes to say: “Once Kozhi has set his mind on something, it’s basically done.” I was brought up in a home where I was constantly reminded that all things are possible with a little extra work. I spent every free moment working on posting my work or completing papers. In truth, all I did was learn how to manage myself. I concur with Stephen Covey, who feels that the phrase “time management” is a misnomer. We do not manage time; we cannot manage time. All we can manage is ourselves. I doubled up on courses and basically began a course while I was in week four of another. However, the key was managing myself and sticking to a pattern and schedule for completing assignments daily. I have done the same thing for my PhD studies and I am slated to complete my entire PhD in 17 months! Discipline.
Will you continue teaching with your PhD, or change careers?
Honestly, I couldn’t say with certainty. My whole life has been guided and motivated by grand ideas and visions. My pastor recently said, “Every vision comes or springs from some sort of dissatisfaction or complaint.” I am dissatisfied with the conditions under which my people in Zambia live. So, all my visions are responses to this dissatisfaction. My life’s mission is to provide my brothers and sisters in Zambia the same opportunity God—through my biological parents (Alex & Edna Makai), American parents (George & Renee Eberly), friends and church family—gave me. Plans are underway to build Makai International University (does this name sound familiar?) in Zambia so that more educational opportunities can be realized for Zambians and other Africans in the region. That’s my heart.
What did you most enjoy about JIU?
The flexibility I had to complete my work without having to step into a classroom, and being able to apply my acquired knowledge straight into the workplace.
Do you have any words of encouragement or advice for current JIU students?
Have goals and have dreams—just realize what they will cost. No matter what anyone says, have goals and have dreams. I had a goal to complete my MABC in eight months and now I am completing my PhD. I have dreams to start a university in Zambia and my experience with JIU allowed me to extend my vision beyond my mind. Remember, if you believe you can, then you can; if you believe you cannot, then you cannot. Remove “cannot” from your vocabulary!