Everyone wants to achieve greatness and fulfill their dreams. But often insecurities hold us back. Randi D. Ward, is one of us, who was insecure about herself but her life took a turn when she realized the power of confidence. She grew up as a shy, small town West Virginia girl. Even though she was an excellent student, she never felt she fit in. She had friends but always hid in their shadows and prayed they would not discover her deep insecurity.
Graduating as high school class valedictorian forced her to put herself in that unwanted “spotlight” when she had to give a fifteen-minute graduation speech in front of thousands of people. To her surprise she performed well as she spoke about the power of believing in oneself to achieve one’s dreams. She did her best to find the confidence she lacked.To some extent she was successful, but it was not until she met the love of her life, Bill. His undying love, encouragement, and never-ending support helped her and made her believe that she can do anything if she works hard enough.
No longer was she that shy, small town girl who was afraid to be seen. She spent the next 37 years of her life as a secondary Language Arts and Gifted Education teacher. She was a West Virginia pioneer in the creation of the Gifted Program and the teacher courses for Marshall University in the 1970’s. She taught students from ages 12 to 18 in the areas of American and British Literature, English grammar, all types of writing (including creative and research), journalism, drama, gifted education, public speaking, and remedial reading.
In 2011-12, she got the opportunity to teach young adults English as a second language in a language center in Cairo, Egypt. Her husband and son were totally opposed to this. The Egyptians had overthrown thirty-year dictator Mubarak on January 25, 2011, and things were still unstable politically, economically, etc. They were convinced Egypt was unsafe which turned out to be true. However, something happened she just could not ignore. She started having dreams night after night for three months. This majestic voice she interpreted as the heavenly voice of God, she heard the same message: “I want you to go to Egypt. The young students need you. Egypt needs you. I will protect you. Go to Cairo and teach.”
Against her family and friends’ advice, she accepted the position. She headed to Cairo with her sincere desire to make a difference in the students’ lives there. She did not know Arabic and was unfamiliar with Egyptian and Islamic culture, so the first few weeks were challenging. She provided the highest quality lessons possible. She taught them life skills as well. She had journeyed to Egypt to teach and to bring hope to young adult students, to live the unique and unfamiliar life as an Egyptian in this exotic culture. It was the most spectacular and captivating adventure and another unforgettable life challenge.
She always wanted to write a book about her experiences. She wrote the book and it was widely appreciated. In the end of 2012, she opened an English- German Language Center in Cairo called Rise Up but sadly she was forced to close one year later due to the continued poor Egyptian economy.Still hoping to provide quality English instruction in Egypt, she with her friend opened a Nursery School in 2014. She was teaching preschool children and their parents English via Skype. She even wrote short stories and nursery rhymes to use as lessons.
Her passion as a writer grew to include many genres: short stories for children and adults, poetry, blogs, magazine articles, motivational or entertaining YouTube videos, and novels. She uses her writings to teach and inspire more people around the world.She has traveled to 60 countries in four continents. She shares her experiences to demonstrate how an ordinary woman, once shy and unsure of herself, found the strength to achieve her dreams. She has received many honors and awards for her wonderful contributions and excellent work. She is now a Visionary Book Consultant Coach and Master Editor.
She also serves as the chief editor/contributing author for an online magazine. She is also an Honorary President of World Peace Forest (Africa) in Egypt, USA Director of Africa Nomads Conservation in Kenya, USA Advisor for International Youth Society, supporter of Lion Encounter in Zimbabwe, and Mentor for International Youth Business Communities.Her life is a major inspiration for everyone around the globe. She always teaches that one should not dream big, one should dream bigger. If she can fight her insecurities and achieve her dreams, then so can you.