In many households across East Africa, a bachelor's degree is often seen as the ultimate goal. You complete it, find work and build a life. The idea of advancing your studies may feel unnecessary, especially when balancing work and family. However, for James Maingi, a Master of Arts in Strategic Communications (MASC) student at the Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications (AKU-GSMC), going back to the classroom was a decision driven by a desire to grow.
As a communications specialist at the National Treasury of Kenya, James is tasked with breaking down technical reform work, such as budget transparency, accountability, and service delivery, into simple, understandable language for citizens and stakeholders. Additionally, he serves as a communications and media consultant at Colour Twist Media, where he supports institutions with strategic communications, visibility campaigns, and storytelling.
With these responsibilities, many would assume there is no reason to return to class. Yet James felt there was another side of communication he wanted to understand better. "I had reached a point in my career where I wanted to move beyond simply producing communication products to understanding communication as a strategic leadership function," he says. His work involves finance, governance, and policy issues that can seem technical to ordinary citizens. He wanted to strengthen his ability to simplify complexity and communicate in ways that inform, build trust, and encourage participation. That realisation led him to pursue the MASC programme at AKU-GSMC.
When James began looking for a master's programme, he was not just searching for another academic qualification. He wanted a programme that would challenge how he thinks about communication and help him grow beyond the day-to-day demands of his work. He found that at AKU-GSMC, a learning environment that brings together experienced faculty, diverse professionals, and exposure to real-world communication challenges.
Today, he sees communication as more than simply sharing information. It is about understanding audiences, context, culture, timing, and risk. Before communicating, he takes time to consider who his audience is, what matters to them, and what barriers might affect understanding. Perhaps the biggest shift has been in how he views communication itself. Rather than seeing it as the final stage of a project, he now sees it as something that should be considered from the very beginning, during the design, implementation, and evaluation of initiatives.
Beyond the classroom, James values learning alongside professionals from different sectors. Interacting with colleagues from government, media, development, civil society, and the private sector has broadened his perspective and exposed him to different ways of approaching communication challenges.
As he continues his studies, James is already applying what he learns in his day-to-day work. From communicating public finance reforms to advising clients through his consultancy work, he now approaches communication with a broader perspective that places strategy, trust, and leadership at the centre. The decision to return to school has not changed what he does. It has improved how he thinks about it.
