Jean Fernando Randriamiajason (Class of 2018, Madagascar), a Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Alumni from EARTH University, grew up surrounded by agriculture. While nearly 90% of Madagascar’s population works in this field, most people, including his parents, rely on subsistence farming. To Fernando, his parents exemplified resilience in the face of financial challenges, while always encouraging him and his siblings to study and work as hard as they could to fulfill their vision. “I always maintained a goal: to help those I can and never give up on my dreams.”
Fernando was intrigued by a visit from an EARTH representative to his high school, the African Leadership Academy in South Africa. With his parent’s motivation, a passion for environmental sustainability, and a familiarity with agriculture, he saw an opportunity to impact his family’s and community’s future through innovation and entrepreneurship. After learning about the EARTH curriculum, particularly the focus on advanced agricultural technology, science, and sustainability, he was sure it was the right fit for him.
Once at EARTH, Fernando was inspired by the learning-by-doing approach. He recalls taking classroom material into the fields and learning the concepts by getting his hands dirty, rather than just using pencil and paper. He also valued class field trips to visit farms and companies outside of campus, seeing the curriculum come to life in the real world. Fernando’s professors pushed him to think critically and ask questions. “When you learn by doing, you see how things work and how to create solutions,” he reflects.
Beyond his academic and professional development at EARTH, Fernando was impacted by how the community bonded through various activities. He particularly loved the EARTH Games event because it brought everyone together, working through fun and challenging obstacles as a community and playing in teams to win EARTH’s version of the Olympic games. When working in a community-based NGO in Madagascar after graduation, Fernando incorporated a similar approach to build community and motivation.
Fernando has worked in a variety of positions since graduating, mainly supporting community development and marine protection in Madagascar. His first job after graduation was with an NGO that focused on sustainable lab treatments related to agriculture. This experience posed a question that impacted the trajectory of his work: How do we protect the marine environment while simultaneously ensuring that the surrounding community has enough food to eat? Later, Fernando began working for one of the biggest agricultural companies in Madagascar on an octopus farming project, where he was able to support farmers in the community by providing seeds and investments to take care of their farms. After that, he worked on the extension of the construction of a port, with the goal of facilitating additional opportunities and success for farmers and communities. In each of these roles, Fernando brought the values instilled in him at EARTH, particularly honesty, discipline, and learning by doing, which have enabled him to positively impact those around him.
Currently, Fernando works for an international eco-tourism company. This professional interest stems from his Business Project course at EARTH, where he and his peers ran an eco-tourism business on campus, and where he also had the opportunity to develop his communication skills. In the future, Fernando hopes to build up the eco-tourism sector in Madagascar from different angles, leading to employment opportunities and more sustainable practices. He views this as an opportunity to impact young people and create jobs for future generations.
Without the scholarship he received through the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, Fernando says that he wouldn’t be where he is today. He is immensely grateful to the Mastercard Foundation and to EARTH for helping him reach his dream of pursuing higher education and of making his parents proud, and for “supporting someone who didn’t have a chance to help themselves.”
