Spotlight | Leading with courage
- Vanessa Dzekedzeke
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Leading Change is proud to celebrate Jumai Monday Rante, a young Nigerian leader whose journey reflects courage, resilience, and purpose. Navigating life with visual impairment, Jumai is redefining leadership in her own powerful way. As an alumna of the Virtual Leadership Academy, she has continued to step boldly into spaces of influence and service within her community.
Following the program, Jumai began serving as the Interim Leader of the Alumni Association of FCT Jabi Old Visually Impaired Students Association (JOVISA), a role she has held since July 2025 to date. In this capacity, she provides coordination, guidance, and representation for fellow alumni, demonstrating steady and compassionate leadership. She is also currently serving as a National Youth Service Corps member in Nigeria, further contributing to national development. Driven by a deep sense of responsibility to her community, Jumai aspires to become a strong advocate for young people with visual impairment. She is currently working on her first book, an inspiring account of her experiences that is aimed at encouraging and empowering others in her community, with plans to complete it by the end of 2026.
Reflecting on her time in the Virtual Leadership Academy, Jumai shares that one of her most transformative lessons was learning how to speak up for herself. The program helped her recognize that her voice matters and that she has agency over her own story. This realization continues to fuel her passion for advocacy. She also credits the Academy’s lessons on emotional intelligence for strengthening her resilience and patience, particularly while navigating the pressures of leadership in her interim role. Learning to lead collaboratively has become a cornerstone of her approach, enabling her to work effectively with others while remaining grounded in empathy and understanding.
To current and future scholars, Jumai offers this encouragement: leadership is not defined by titles, organizations, or financial resources, rather it begins with being authentically yourself and recognizing that someone, somewhere, is looking up to you.
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