Meet Will Isak April, a member of the San/Khoe Khoe tribe—one of 11 indigenous tribes in the Southern Africa country of Namibia.  Will was raised by a community of extended family members.  His foster parents, who cared for 18 children, passed away when he was just 11 and 13 years old.  But it was the loyalty and support from a community of family members that fueled Will’s lifelong passion to empower global societies through the cultivation of entrepreneurship.
 
Will attended the Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC) in June.  It was his first visit to the U.S., but Will said that the time he spent at Babson was the most meaningful to him.  “My passion for Indigenous Entrepreneurship is shaped by my own life experiences, and I believe the only way I can pay respect and tribute to my forefathers is by continuing the legacy they have left behind.  I will return to Africa, and spread the message of hope that anything is possible if we dare to dream. The BCERC experience has empowered me to do this.”

Will is currently completing his doctoral studies in Indigenous Entrepreneurship at Lincoln University, New Zealand.  To view a summary of his published article, Experiential learning from the Khoi-Khoi (Namibia) and Maori (New Zealand) communities, visit: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ip/ije/2008/00000009/00000002/art00004

Listen to a podcast interview: http://www.babson.edu/podcast/2009-06-08BCERC.mp3