THRIVING IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY
The dream for Thriving Learners Institute came from its founder, Pauline Nalumansi Mugisha.
Born and raised in a family in Uganda that disregards girl-child education, she was faced with the prospect of being married off at age 15. Against all odds, facing abuse and resistance from he family, she never gave up on her goal to earn an education and have a career to help break her family out of poverty.
She began applying for scholarships and found an abundance of support in the form of Hope Alive! a Uganda-based non-profit that sponsored her high school education.MasterCard Foundation’s scholarship enabled her to move all the way to the United States to earn her bachelor’s degree. Pauline has continued her education ever since – earning a Master of Global Management funded by Thunderbird’s SHARE scholarship.
Pauline is now a Ph.D. student in the Innovation in Global Development program with a focus on innovation in higher education where she will research, design, test and develop a practical and impactful 21st century teaching and learning system.
Pauline started TLI with her husband Bruno Mugisha who she met in 2010 and married in 2018. They have a son named Lucas Mugisha.
