TO LEAD IS TO SERVE - 08-0739

TO LEAD IS TO SERVE

Every respectable position in society comes with an increased level of pressure. This is especially so since the media makes a point to scrutinize those that hold leadership positions. When it comes to national politics, the spy glasses are wider due to the public’s involvement and their incessant need to check whether their leaders are making good on their promises as they vowed to in their manifestos. Why shouldn’t they? After all, the vote into office was solely cast in faith that change and good will come of those they put in power and that good leaders keep their promises.

So what is a good leader? The question boggles many a mind due to its weighty nature and scarcity of exemplary individuals who fit the profile. Few icons of great leadership have had a chance to stand on the Kenyan national stage long enough to leave a lasting impact and those who have had their lives cut short through ailments or assassination such as the late Tom Mboya or the late Wangari Maathai.

Lao Tzu, a Chinese Taoist philosopher and author of ‘The Book of the Way’ is quoted as having said, “To lead the people, walk behind them.” He goes on further to add that a leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, such that the people say, “We did it ourselves.” A concept that has long permeated the political scene and corporate leadership platforms is that of leadership as service as the mark of a good leader. This is whereby, rather than stand ahead of the masses and bellow orders at his followers; a leader should instead walk side by side with the people and mobilize them to assist him in meeting their needs. Therefore, a servant leader helps his people meet their goals rather than task others to accomplish responsibilities for him. In essence, he cannot do it all himself.

One such leader that comes to mind as I had mentioned before is the late Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai. Even before the media and the world shed light on her work and put her up on a pedestal, she fervently pursued her life goal to preserve the environment and to mobilize other women to plant trees to ensure that the world remained green, pure and unpolluted through their organization The Greenbelt Movement. After securing a position in the NARC government and later gaining worldwide recognition by winning a Nobel Peace prize, she remained humble and used her fame and popularity to sensitize many to be environmental stewards. Through it all, she remained true to her cause.

Many use their leadership positions as a way to see through their vested interests rather than to benefit the people by being corrupt or failing in their duties. I find it interesting how quickly leaders sometimes forget where they came from and who they should be grateful for where they are today. It is true that power tends to corrupt the purest and noblest of characters causing them to dwell on themselves rather than the people he leads. A servant leader therefore has to fight against this to fulfill his vow to his people to cause change and better their lives. Henry A. Kissinger said it best: “The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.”

In Kenya however, the bulk of the leadership cake tends to automatically go to those who hitch free rides into the corridors of power by being affiliated with political dynasties  such as the Kenyattas, Odingas, and Mois just to name a few. In contrast, people who display great leadership qualities are accorded some degree of respect but are never taken as seriously as their dynastic counterparts. The notion behind this is that due to the politician’s association with a former great leader, they too must therefore have great leadership traits in them when in most cases, this is not so.

Unfortunately, Kenyans still uphold political archetypes that proved successful in the past when yet times have changed. For far too long have we let incompetent people masquerading as leaders take the reigns of power to steer their families into obscene levels of exponential wealth as their people languish in poverty. There are honourable men and women such as Esther Passaris doing great things for the country that fail to get the acclaim and opportunity to extend their great works to a national scale because we are myopic in our definition of a good leader. We are the ones to blame. If we do not change our attitudes then we shall continue to cry foul every time a leader abuses his office and forgets us. Let us not forget: there is power in the ballot.

(800 words)

THINK, UH, WRITE BEFORE YOU SPEAK - 08-0739

THINK, UH, WRITE BEFORE YOU SPEAK

There is something about the way a well developed plot and cast moves us and make the characters’ experiences our own. That is the beauty of a good movie or television series that has us glued to the screen from start to end. Those that prefer relaxing with a book in hand and music playing in the background tune in to their favourite show on a radio station of their choice to unwind. Some people term it a form of escapism or recharging after a long day but I like to call it dreaming eyes wide open. Thus, broadcast corporations put in a lot of hard work and money trying to satisfy this growing demand for entertainment and information needs. However, if one is on the receiving end of broadcast material, it is harder to appreciate the effort and work that goes into producing anything from radio show programmes to television works.

Behind the scenes in the initial stages of developing broadcast content, producers are faced with the challenge as to whether a script is needed to guide the production or to have the presenter speak spontaneously. Depending on the direction chosen, a show can end up having an absolutely different feel and produce varying results in the end. When it comes down to it, the question producers and presenters must answer is for what purpose the production is meant to serve.

Take spontaneous talk for example. When one speaks from the top of their mind, there are bound to be long pauses the moment when the speaker tries to organize their thoughts. Depending on how a speaker recovers from this, the results can vary from bad to fine especially if they are camera shy. In addition, one tends to use simple sentences that are fragmented when speaking spontaneously. This leads to making a lot of errors such as repetition and thus the speaker makes a lot of corrections. I learnt this the hard way when a few colleagues and I had to work on a five minute on air set for class on a topic of our choice. We chose an easy route and went with a show on relationships because the wide array of discussion topics revolving around the subject were numerous. In the end, because we were unsure about what to comment on, we spent a lot more time editing the five minute recording so as to make it as cohesive as possible. It was quite hard and very time consuming coming up with a significant final product which even in the end lacked the punch we intended for it.

On a broadcast platform, a presenter or reporter who speaks spontaneously risks coming off as unprofessional as it can make them lose credibility of what they are speaking about among the audience. This is depicted clearly when rookie and unseasoned reporters are sent to report on important news. The false starts and hesitations covered by filters such as ‘um’ and ‘uh’ when speaking may make it tasking for the audience to internalize the piece of information and may even make them lose interest in the programme altogether.

An important thing to note, however, is that spontaneous talk sounds and feels more natural because essentially, one is speaking from their mind and they usually do. The ease and transition between two ideas if well planned helps to make the production much friendlier, a task that many scripted works tend to lack. There is place for spontaneous talk in live debates such as in programmes that have guest speakers like the old show Crosstalk on KTN.

On a different note, the late Alfred North Whitehead, a British philosopher and Mathematician, is famously quoted for saying, “Actors are loved because they are unoriginal. Actors stick to their script.” Think about a movie that has no script with actors that can essentially do what they think and want at will. The result is likely to be haphazard and costly. This is why a script is important. It helps to manage time better because rather than spend time thinking of what to say, the early preparation of a written guide helps to bring out a message clearly. Most times, without a script information can get lost in translation or fail to have a desired impact.

Furthermore, when one uses a script, they are able to be more organized and thus, bring out the ideas they intended clearly than when speaking spontaneously. Shows like XYZ need to have a script. This is because the satire is brought out by what the characters say as the meaning is rooted in their words. Without it, the show would not have as great an impact as it does. As expected, sometimes scripted talk in broadcast can come off as unnatural. The trick is to be familiar with the content of the script before using it so as to make it feel more conversational.

There is a middle-ground that producers and presenters favour and that is the production of semi-scripted shows. A good example is such as the many formats breakfast shows on television stations use as they tend to be interview based with several invited guests per show. Rather than read from a teleprompter, the presenters write a few notes on the topic and questions to be asked so as to maintain the flow and focus of the content. This allows for improvisation and the end result is normally pleasing.

In the end, the one thing that holds true is that practice makes perfect. Great presenters and producers are as a result of many trials and errors so as to find a suitable fit. Depending on a person, scripted shows or spontaneous shows may be preferred. I believe, however, that it is better to have a form of script when working on a programme. It helps to give a rough idea of what final result is intended and to exhaust any ideas on the subject spoken about lest memory fails when one opts for the spontaneous talk route. After all, didn’t the American sages remind us to be safe than sorry?

ROPES OF IGNORANCE. WINFRED GATWIRI- 08-0023

                                                  ROPES OF IGNORANCE

loves us all

Have you ever taken time to observe people?  Mine is a disturbing fact that I wished never to think about, incase I defiled Gods wish. However how should we worship? what should guide our style of worship? When should one worship? These are some of the things a Christian should think about. The other issue that comes up from this is, do people really understand Christianity as a religion or do they take it up as a hobby or profession when nothing else is working? People should understand that christianity is full of fun depending on how you want it to be.

Well, as I grew up my parents took me through an interactive Sunday school. My teachers three elderly ladies, equated good morals to Jesus Christ and evil to the Devil. I grew up with the knowledge of hell as a place that I will painfully pay for all my sins. I did not want to miss any of their session not only because of the punishment that I would receive the following day from the Christianity oriented  school that I went to, but also because of their interactive nature. My Sunday school teachers with only two remaining and ticking to their 90^th birthdays I associate my conscience and good morals to them.

 But how many children get lost along the way because they did not get a good orientation to religion. I would not blame any one for deciding that it is a boring institution for people who do not have life. Because of my orientation I would prepare quick speeches to defend the church as a place to interact, socialize with fellow believers and get spiritual nourishment. This is the same reason some brethren’s would not believe in me.  Church is a holy place where people should not bring any kind of jokes with fun in church being one of them. This is an impression I get from saintly ones many times.  They would want to call me a reformist of the holy Christ church when I continue to speak.

As I sat with a few people in my hostel at Daystar University a renown Christian institution, where I did my first degree one of the random topics came up. This day we were critiquing the student leaders. The debate this day was very heated. Everyone had a thing or two to complain about the political brothers in the student offices, “the buses left me, the food at the dining hall is not up to standard…” the list went on and on. Mine was a different one all together. I began to critique the leaders in our student Christian fellowship. I was immediately shot down with an ignorant statement I had heard before, “they are men of God.” This made me retort almost immediately, So I’m I. 

 The whole idea is whether political or religious, they took an oath of office that they should live up to. This opened my eyes to the many evils that people observed, were always a kick bellow their belt but could not talk them out for fear of offending God as they had been made to believe by their misinformed leaders. Some people were led to sin because it is the ‘man of God’ who said. But my worry is; what about the ability for man to decide what is right and wrongs that God that is an elevation above that of the other mammals? Or have you left some one rule over it for a selfish benefit? The house went silent. I did not win the debate because I was not out for a competition. I was just trying to drive some sense into some ignorant elites.



Sunday school kids enjoy a meal during the trip.



One very serious one happened to me again in my campus life. A few friends and I decided to support one of our own. She taught at a local Sunday school that was sponsored by the student fellowship. She used her social work knowledge to organize for an event to help the children begin to have fun in attending church. This particular Sunday the children would enjoy time out at some resort watching wild animals. My friend needed more than the crew she has, so she invited us as outsourced teachers for the day. We had a great day with the kids. I had a chance to play the games I had played fourteen years back, took photographs with the beautiful kids, ate togethsr and most exciting watch the animals feed especially the crocodiles.  We had to give back a report to our bosses who had gladly sponsored the event. Worst case scenario came when one of the leaders again asked a very irrelevant question, “From which book of the bible do you relate this trip?”  I looked at her in shock. I did not understand which cult she   inspired and guided. Was I being arrogant for advising/ my friend to leave that to her to decide? I don’t know either.

As an educated Christian I believe that people are misled and misguided on issues that should build them. As a student who has gone through various theology classes, I understand that Christianity is not a religion of pretenders any more. Religion is for the people who understand that it is a life style not a cover of how holy we are. Religion is part of our lives and not a weighing machine of how wrong we are. With the line, “the bible says in the book of …, that we should not…”coming up misplacing on almost everything. Rather on a more positive point a description of the beauty of life.

What should Christians wear to the beach? A friend had a trip to the coastal town of Mombasa for a gospel outreach with missions and outreach team a sub-committee of Daystar Christian fellowship (D.C.F). They had a big task to let the word be heard by the people whose lives are rooted in the Muslim culture. The serious matters took a different turn when some of the men took the gravity of the events too high.  When the missionaries had a chance to visit the beach, the dress code did not change it only got tighter. The men went down in suits and tightly done ties. Maybe I could say it is because they did not have a point of reference to the beach wear.  Maybe in their view the people of God should not be found indecently in beach wears. My question is how conservative should one get as a Christian leader?

Jeannette Munyae a bible student at Daystar University.

 Jeannette Munyae, a bible student at Daystar University views religion open-mindedly. “There is more to life than just dress code, the food we eat, the people we have as friend and coding all these practices to the bible”. In defense of her practices Jeanette viewed Jesus Christ who is the symbol of Christianity as a person full of fun and life. “Jesus attended weddings, had friends, appreciated people and did not use his own practices as a measure of how wrong other people were. Instead he died on the cross to let humanity have a second chance”. In her opinion, “religious leaders should not judge others but live by example of the holy son of God”.

SERVICE, THE X FACTOR by 08-1003

Is it our fault that our leaders are such poor service providers? Do we treat them as masters instead of servants? There is a story of a king who when he would walk on the streets people would shout out his praises. However, he always walked with a servant who would whisper in his ear, “you are just a man,” repeatedly so that he would remember that he was just a man. Do we shout out praises to our leaders distracting them from their duties as service givers? Maybe we should begin to shout out to them, “You are just a servant,” 

Are we partly to blame for our leaders poor leadership because it seems we admire them for the wrong reasons: their money and prestige? We forget that power is given by God and nobody is born deserving of it. We put them on a pedal stool and consider them to be more important than us and in effect encourage them to consider themselves more important than us. We convince ourselves that they must know what they are talking about because they have the title honorable before their names. We criticize them for being incompetent and wallow in dissatisfaction in the comforts of our living rooms but in their presence clasp their hands enthusiastically and unconsciously bow our heads.

I sometimes believe that our ideas of a good leader are distorted. We do not know that not every powerful person is a leader. We seem to have the notion that all successful people are leaders; that success equals leadership. Everybody can be successful but not everybody can be a leader. Leaders, like men of God are divinely chosen.

There are so many qualities that are attributed to good leaders such as commitment, passion, confidence, intelligence, wisdom, courage, discipline, vision and persistence among others. However, the most important quality that is hardly mentioned is service. A lot of the advice given about leadership is in such a manner that leaders see themselves as masters instead of servants. They consider their key duties to be delegating work and commanding people instead of encouraging commitment and loyalty, standing up for their people and helping them. Service is the only quality that determines whether a leader possesses all the other qualities to serve his people or himself.

A leader with the quality of service puts the needs of his people ahead of his own. This is a person who is always around when you need him and sometimes when you don’t. They don’t help you shout out your problems but find solutions. They help you help yourself. They take nothing for themselves and ensure that everything is shared equally among everyone. They do not confidently stand on the pedal stool you give them because they know that one person cannot be greater than the community. They are willing to sacrifice and suffer for the greater good of the community. Do not be fooled, there are people who look and talk like leaders but are nothing but a mirage.

In an interview on K24’s Capital Beat last year, Ngugi wa Thiong’o was quoted as saying that “leadership is when you are actually there to serve.” He explained that back in his days leaders used to give something so as to attend meetings. They did not expect to be rewarded as he sees today. He said that elders sacrificed their own lands for the construction of schools without expecting anything in return.

Great names in history also serve as example of leaders who were not just leaders but servant leaders. Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus in the fifth century abandoned his farm to serve Rome as a leader during an invasion by rivaling tribes and immediately resigned his absolute authority with the end of the crisis. George Washington served as a general during the American Revolution that saw America gain independence in 1776. After victory had been finalized in 1783, Washington resigned rather than seize power and returned to his domestic life, even though he was elected president in 1789. Nelson Mandela became president of South Africa for only one term, between 1944 and 1999 even though he spent a great part of his life fighting for freedom and equality. He did not hold on to power as others did and are still doing.

The idea of leadership as service should not be downplayed as it determines whether a leader is in power for self interest or to serve his people. All leaders should be expected to exhibit signs of being servants first then leaders. People need to treat their leaders as servant leaders so that they act like servant leaders. We also need to admire their acts of service instead of the power and prestige so as to encourage them to do more for their people.

(800words)

SPONTANEOUS TALK, A FANTASY by 08-1003

In the broadcast commentary process, there has been a constant debate about spontaneous talk versus scripted talk and which one of them is more effective than the other. There is a well believed notion that spontaneous talk is more natural and appealing than a scripted talk. However, I believe that spontaneous talk is a fantasy. It is something that sounds good but isn’t practical. Scripted talk has far more advantages than spontaneous talk and is more effective as I realized through my experience.

Scripted talk in the broadcast commentary process is less time consuming because you know what you are saying literally word for word. Everybody involved reads their lines in the order specified. There is no thinking required as your thoughts are already put down on paper and your position decided. This takes very little time in recording. It makes your work faster and easier. The time required to edit the recording is also very little. This wasn’t the case with our spontaneous talk, even though we had earlier discussed the topic, knew what we wanted to say and decided on our positions. We seemed to need time to rethink our statements and sometimes we weren’t even able to say all that we had hoped to say at the time. Recording took longer as we did not know exactly when to stop talking and even when we knew when to stop talking there was always the risk of cutting someone off mid-sentence as they are explaining their point.  Editing was also time-consuming and difficult.

Reading off a script dictates in what order everyone involved is going to speak so that everyone’s voice is heard. There is no room for any awkward silence as everyone wonders who is going to speak next or any verbal “clash” that ensues when everyone wants to talk at the same time. In normal conversations there are always people who talk more than others and some people are barely given the floor to express themselves. In spontaneous talk it is very difficult to concentrate on ensuring that everyone is given equal opportunity to speak. However, in scripted talk you consciously plan it out so that everyone gets equal opportunity to speak. Scripting also makes it easier to position everyone’s point of view so that the argument makes perfect sense.

As you read your lines off the script you avoid the obvious tell signs of thinking; the awkward silence, the constant repetition of a word or phrase or interjections such as        the famous “umm” or “uh” that break the flow of a conversation or distract listeners or viewers from the point. A script also helps avoid words and phrases that may not be appropriate for radio. Curse words such as “what the hell?” may spill out during a conversation as is common with street talk. Sexist language that may be misinterpreted can also be avoided.

I do not dispute that scripted talk has its share of disadvantages  like if you do not have a good rapport with your co-host or guest then the work may sound revised or planned which is unappealing. During our class scripted presentation we had to work on our rapport so that the final product sounds as natural and unplanned as possible. We particularly had a problem with the part on the script that was written roar of laughter. At the time of the crafting of the script the roar of laughter came out so naturally but when it came to recording, the joke was already stale and the laughter seemed more strained and forced each time round. The more we revised the script, the more we got bored with it and every moment we had to redo the presentation required more effort. However, with every practice we learnt to make the presentation sound more natural.

It is also very difficult to write a script for an interview with someone you will interact with on the show for the first time. It is very difficult to predict what your guest will say and what your response will be. Even when you write a “dummy” script and try to predict what your guest would say, it still reaches a point when you cannot fill in the blanks. Plus if you could predict everything your guest would say, then that will only mean that all that information is available to the public, what would be the point of listening or watching your show? However, a script would act as a guide giving you a glimpse of how the show would turn out.

Spontaneous talk is fun to do and interesting to listen to because you just go with the flow. It has the feeling of engaging in an ordinary conversation with people. If there is chemistry among the presenters, it shows and pulls audiences in. For example, in main stream media the chemistry between presenters such as Shaffi Weru and Kalekye Mumo on “The Rush Hour” in Kiss FM or Maina Kageni and Joseph King’angi on “Maina and King’angi in the Morning” in Classic F.M. is so natural that you just want to listen.  

Even with spontaneous talk, the participants still have to prepare for it. You discuss the topic prior to the presentation so that everyone has a general feel of what everyone’s’ positions are. The problem with spontaneous talk is that the mind is prone to forgetfulness. People may forget what they initially wanted to say. You may also have it all planned out in your head but it still doesn’t come out right. It is believed that the mind works faster than the mouth or the hand so that you have all these ideas that are begging to be expressed at the same time and in your attempt to do so, your sentences spill out in confusion. Editing a spontaneous talk to ensure that it is a certain number of minutes is tasking as there are a lot of mistakes. Besides spontaneous means unplanned, something that happens in the spur-of-the-moment hence very unpredictable and the end result could be amazing or disastrous. The consequences of such a risk again are unpredictable.

After my experience with both scripted talk and spontaneous talk, I concluded that spontaneous talk is a fantasy. It is just something that looks good, feels good but isn’t necessarily good. Scripted talk on the other hand sounds boring and dull but has a lot of advantages and in effect is more effective.

UNFALTERED PASSION by CATHERINE.K.NJIRU 09-1591

For her, the beginning is always the best place to start from, the Luther Vandross beginning when he sings, “Love the one you’re with.” Love you, accept you, forgive you, and enjoy you. She is for the thought that people should not change themselves to smooth over differences in their relationships with people around them. “How many of us have stood before mirrors years later, barely able to recognize the lady starring back?” She asks.

When she was born and brought up, her aspirations were to become a top model; that would break records in the world of celebrity.

Little did she know that 20 years later, she would be in a journalism class at a school far away from her small village in the middle of a an isolated island.

Janice Atieno was born in 1986 in Maomboleo village, Kisumu-East District. In 1991, she joined Kilimani primary school where she attained her KCPE certificate and was later admitted to Moi girls High-Larura for her secondary education.

Jane posing for a photo-Alloha

 

During this period, she discovered a lot about herself. Her body was growing bigger, her hips broader and her dark cheeks chubbier despite her efforts to avoid eating much. Her friends jumped at the chance to mock her and discourage her of her dream to hit the screens as a model. Her parents who were leaders in a local Catholic Church, didn’t make it any easier for her. They wanted to see her on the screen but for a different career. Just like most parents, their decision was final and she was to study to be a television anchor.

For her, this was not the end of the road. Her dream was still alive and burning inside, even as she approached the gates of Daystar University Nairobi on January 12, 2005 for a four year B.A Degree in Communication.

Janice is in her final year for the course and though she has to study some few uninteresting units, she found out that most of what she studies adds more quality to her modeling skills. She rarely misses an opportunity to have her photo taken hoping that it will end up as a cover page for a magazine.

Jane spotting a pose Outside her house

On several occasions, her friends have always complained after catching her admiring herself on a mirror at odd hours. Other times she would be found trying to catwalk on the staircase alone not to mention that her walking style is one that makes one turn back and watch.

She is a frequent visitor at the gym though one can clearly see that she still weighs more than most of her classmates. Her diet is well calculated to avoid adding more weight. Her small room is full of neatly arranged magazine covers, celebrity's wall stickers and the most colorful and fashionable clothes you can find around. However, she can be quite dramatic when provoked about her modeling passion.

Three months ago, she almost caused a scandal in one of the biggest modeling agency in Nairobi. The agency had advertised a slot for hiring interested models. When Janice read the advertisement, she took it as a golden chance determined to win, just as the Kenyan government against the Alshabaab militia, she went for it.

On that big day, she woke up earlier than usual, dressed to impress and ran off to catch up with the interview. Here, she met several other girls up for the same task and though she noticed they were all a little bit slender than she was, that didn’t seem to bother her at all. She knew she must try to get the job and nothing else mattered.

Trouble started only when one of the receptionists chose to disqualify her before she faced the interviewing panel in the boardroom. The receptionist clearly told her that she looked a bit chubbier for the job so she would just be wasting time for other participants. Janice didn’t think twice about reminding her her job, as only a receptionist and not an interviewer. She went ahead to lecture her of all the qualities she possessed and that a fashion house modeling had nothing to with her size. After all, different clients come in different sizes.

Efforts by the agency’s security to save the day proved futile as she had decided not to move an inch until she was interviewed. The noise must have attracted the panel that came out to watch the scene in awe. Her confidence, eloquence, beauty, elegance must have caught their attention. She got the job on the spot! “That day, I felt as if I had been given a new lease of life and vowed to work even harder for the sake of my dreams”

Such an experience and many others have only pushed her to believe more in her passion. Recently, she tried to contest for ‘Miss Westland’ Kenya but only managed to be number four out of the twenty contestants present. This has made her more vigorous as she always attends almost all modeling events for motivation and success tips.

Unlike in the past, some of her friends have learnt to appreciate her efforts to lose weight and her potential and strong will as well. Some take time to keep her company as she practices her steps and applaud her. “She is a strong lady, always on the run, and always smiling even when having a low moment,” Lucy states, saying that her friend’s attitude made it easier for them to cope.

Jane,Lucy and other friends

 

Her parents are still hoping that a sunny day will come and burn her long desire or modeling. For them, models are some immoral girls who love showing their bodies in public in the name of beauty. Thus, they take it upon themselves to remind her that being an anchor is a more respectable career according to their catholic faith.

Janice is now 26 years old. Her social life is one surrounded by many friends and she already feels like a celebrity in her own small

world.       

Girls day out!

  Most men have a problem approaching her for a date because of her outgoing character, but that rarely bothers her. She wishes to meet a man who can honestly understand her passion and hold her hand all the way.

With time, she is determined to change her parent’s perception about models. She constantly narrates how the former Miss Kenya, Cecilia Mwangi took a noble task and transformed many lives in Central Kenya by offering herself and dedicating her time to run a campaign on jiggers eradication. “She inspires me and even without noticing, she planted a seed of generosity in me.”Janice is very confident that she too will leave a mark in the modeling industry and in the hearts of many when her turn comes.

Twenty years on and still she raises doubts whether her dream will come to pass. Only time will tell how far Janice’s unfading passion will go. When that time comes, it will be a new story for her…a story driven by the Luther Vandross beginning, Love the one you are with. A story of a high profile model breaking the world records.