Leading Through Service: Ashula Rachid Assim’s Vision for Change

When Ashula Rachid Assim arrived at UCBC, he wanted to become a leader.

Now a fourth-year economics student, he has certainly achieved that goal. Yet the leadership he speaks about today looks very different from the one he imagined when he first arrived on campus.

“The most important things I have learned at UCBC are team spirit and student leadership,” he says. “Those values have changed my worldview.”

Over the past few years, Rachid has immersed himself in opportunities to grow as a leader. As a member of UCBC’s Student Leadership Development Team – and serving as its president for a year and a half – he has worked alongside fellow students to cultivate leadership skills and encourage a culture of servant leadership across campus.

“Servant leadership is very important,” he explains. “I ask myself, how can I be important to my country as a servant instead of someone who needs a title? First serve, then contribute to society.”

Rather than seeking positions for status, Rachid wants to use leadership as a way to create opportunities for others and strengthen his community. He hopes the values he has gained at UCBC will ripple outward, influencing the people around him long after graduation.

His commitment to service is also reflected in his involvement with Gender Champions, a student initiative that promotes gender equality. For Rachid, the work is about more than advocacy. It is about helping build the kind of society he wants to see in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Despite progress in recent years, women and girls in the DRC continue to face significant barriers. Cultural norms and traditional expectations that exist today often limit opportunities for women. While laws may guarantee equal rights, many women still experience discrimination, marginalization and unequal treatment in their daily lives.

Rachid believes that changing this reality requires the involvement of everyone, especially young leaders.

“I have a sister,” he says. “I would like to be someone who promotes a good environment for her.”

Through Gender Champions, he works alongside other students to encourage conversations about equality, seeing it not as a women’s issue, but as a community issue. He wants to use his UCBC education to help create a more equitable future for his country, one where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

Alongside lessons in leadership, Rachid has gained practical skills through his economics studies and training in information technology. He is grateful for the strong education he has received in all areas of his life at UCBC.

As he looks toward the future, Rachid’s ambitions are rooted in service. Instead of aiming for a specific role or title, he seeks a servant leadership position that will be measured by its impact rather than its status. His willingness to serve others first and use his gifts and talents for the good of the community was made stronger because of the holistic education he received at UCBC. We look forward to seeing Rachid take his learnings with him wherever he goes next.