We recently connected with Jamila Serrette and have shared our conversation below.

Jamila, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

Ideally, our students would be prepared for a more fulfilling life (starting in primary/secondary school) by increasing the opportunities for them to not just learn about the world but to experience the world and what they are learning. Our communities both near and far are full of resources for life-enhancing, life improving skills.

There should be an increase in the funding available for hands-on, real-world educational experiences. True World Link works to be the conduit for creating such an environment, connecting resources to schools. Students have a natural curiousness about them that can be enhanced with improved educational delivery. We would love to see students immersed in learning, gaining clarity on not just the what but also the “why” and the “how” of the specific standard/objective.

Jamila, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

As I like to tell everyone, I feel as if I fell into education. My first years as an educator were at Title I schools. Students are naturally inquisitive and I enjoyed bringing science to life, sharing my joy of learning. After time, the gap in learning became obvious as the lack of exposure/experiences limited the underserved population’s ability to grasp concepts. I began pushing the envelope with how information was delivered to my students. One of the most significant progression towards the current life story, was when I presented the idea of overnight trips to the principal at the time, Mr. Jondre Pryor. He was one of the first administrators that allowed me to professionally push outside the normal educational boxes. I appreciated the structured freedom he allowed, with a balance of “no” mixed in with a “yes”. I restructured my proposal based on his concerns and from there we began taking students on learning excursions at first in Georgia then expanding to service and education-based trips internationally. There are no words to describe the feeling of seeing the wonderment on a person’s face as they learn, see and experience something new.

After a while, I started a company that specialized in offering travel services to groups and revamped the company starting True World Link in 2020. I wanted to branch out to offer global education/expansion services to not only educational groups but to small business owners and families as well. The goal was to offer a more meaningful experience, tapping into the world and its resources and having clients share and give back as well. Our motto at True World Link is “Authentic Connections. Transformative Experiences”. Our mission is to enhance the personal, professional and business lives of our clients by creating authentic intercontinental experiences. Founded in 2015 and revamped in 2020, we are a premier global-consulting company offering personalized, uniquely – crafted experiences. From expertly-tailored family events or business ventures, to creating a global curriculum for educators, we take care of the details.

We have gone from bringing Ghana to life for an author of a Ghanian children’s book (Alysse Daniels, Adventures with Mariah: Volume I-Ghana) to bringing people together to get a cultural lesson about Ethiopian culture and cuisine (with Mr. Dagim, owner of Piassa Restaurant in Decatur, GA), and so much in between. True World Links wants us to “Explore Beyond The Front Door”.

For the 2022/2023 school year, True World Link will be partnering with The Kindezi Schools to create and offer a global education/skills high-school transition program for its 2 middle schools – Kindezi West & Kindezi Old Fourth Ward. Dr. Kelly Gunn, Executive Director of Kindezi schools refers to the students as geniuses, believing in genius-awakening experiences for all stakeholders. Kindezi is derived from the Congo art of babysitting, honoring to care and nurture the mind and spirit of children. The program will prepare students for academic/socio-emotional success in high school and allow opportunities for the geniuses to learn and use (in real-time) the academic, social and global citizenship skills that will be taught.

True World Link
Authentic Connections. Transformative Experiences

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

True World Link was my side hustle for 2 years but as it grew I had to make the decision to take a step out and believe in my product. Stepping away from my full-time job allowed me to have the space to be able to put more time into the business and be available for additional opportunities. It seemed as if once I stepped away, the opportunities poured in. Because I was an educator, I used my time off (spring and summer breaks) to be able to lead client experiences. Evenings and weekends, I worked my “side-hustle” like a full-time job.

This will be my first year turning this into a full time business and it is an exciting, exhilarating yet a bit uncertain position to be in. While I enjoy working in the school system, I felt as if I was limited. The decision was made (it’s now or never) for me to take all of the years of life and professional experiences to work in my passion.

Here are my suggestions for those considering the leap:

1. Work on your product. Make sure that you are sure about what you offer, how you differentiate yourself from the other businesses out there and do your research. Learning never stops.
2. Use all of the resources available out there for small businesses such as SCORE and other similar programs. Reach out to people who do what you are wanting to do and ask if you can speak with them and/or if they will mentor you.
3. Work your side hustle like a full-time job. Even though you may be tired in the evening and want to relax on the weekends, do something every day related to your business. Some days you may only have 15 minutes to complete something, but it is better than not doing anything!
4. Surround yourself with other small business owners. They are willing to share resources, experiences and a word or two of encouragement!
5. Come up with an exit plan. Think of things like how you will pay yourself, insurance and other perks that come with being a full time employee.
6. Truly know your worth. Believe and love yourself and what you have to offer this world.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Learning lessons, yes so many! And yes it is important to unlearn lessons. I remember working in the retail industry and there is a saying that “the client/customer is always right”. I had to unlearn the lesson and unpack that statement. Yes, we all want clients and we want our clients to be happy but sometimes as a business owner you have to be okay with knowing your niche, your target customer and walking away from a situation that doesn’t align with the mission, value or goals for your business. Part of this lesson entails getting better with communicating the vision and mission of True World Link.

True World Link thrives on using every experience as a way to learn. We see every person in the world as a contributor to our learning experience and appreciate the role that all play in our lives. There isn’t a one-size fits all solution for our clients, we adapt to our client’s needs and desires. So there are no cookie-cutter curriculums, family/small group travel explorations or ready made itineraries. The unlearned lesson is not to take things personal if a potential client decides your company isn’t a fit with what they are looking for. Be confident in your business and what it stands for!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.trueworldlink.com
• Instagram: True.World.Link
• Facebook: True World Link
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits
Simply Zee Imagery and Piassa Ethiopian Restaurant