|
I was born in Tarime district in Tanzania, one of the regions around the famous Serengeti National Park. I joined my primary education when I was seven years old. After I reached fourteen, I left my home town to attend secondary education in St Paul Seminary in Musoma town. This was my first experience to live far from my parents. After four years of being in secondary school, I had to attend advanced secondary education in even a more distant place from my hometown. Up to my advanced secondary education, I never knew exactly what I wanted to do in future except that I was very much interested in watching birds. I can remember spending most of my evening time visiting places where I could find birds and their nests. In one evening during my final year of my high school education I had conversation with Dutto Angelous, my biology teacher. The conversation on that particular day was largely dominated by wildlife stories. This conversation opened my mind and I started thinking more about wildlife. I felt that I had a role to improve the status of wildlife. After my high level studies I decided to join the University of Dar Es salaam and majored in Zoology and Wildlife Ecology and Management. I spent three years at the University of Dar es Salaam before I was awarded a BS in Zoology and Wildlife Ecology and Management. After my undergraduate studies, I worked with one of my professors, Professor Kim Howell for over six months on conducting an environmental impact assessment in area which was planned for gold mining. In 2002, I was employed by the Gombe Stream Research Centre, famous for its chimpanzees to work as a Research Assistant in a project of intercommunity relations of chimpanzees. The focus of the research was to study behavioral patterns related to inter-community conflicts between chimpanzees. After nearly one and half years of my work in Gombe National Park, I joined the University of Minnesota for my M.S. in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior. On my way through MS degree, I felt that I needed to enhance my knowledge and skills in the field so that I will be more competent and effective in understanding behaviors of wild animals which will help to inform wildlife managers in formulating policies for sustainable survival of wildlife. Currently I am enrolled in doctorate studies at the University of Minnesota and specifically planning to study matters pertaining to intercommunity relations of chimpanzees. I am hoping to complete this program before 2009.
|
