This week’s campus profile is on the poised politics professor Naaborle Sackeyfio. She’s passionate, hardworking, and always up for a discussion.
Name: Naaborle Sackeyfio
Job Title: Lecturer in Comparative Politics
Degrees: Ph.D. in Political Science from City University of New York
M.A. in Diplomacy & International Relations from Seton Hall University
B.A. in History from Winston-Salem State University
Hometown: Born in New York – grew up in Nigeria: Ghanaian and American
How long have you been at Penn State?
2 years
How has your time been here at Behrend?
It’s been great. It’s been an eye opening experience. I’ve had very different students than I’m used to, and that’s mainly because I teach non political science students. That’s been extremely eye opening and meaningful because it’s pushing me to think about new ways to reach people who have no social science background. It can be a challenge, but for me it has helped me go back to the drawing board and say “okay, how do I draw people in who have no background, no frame of reference for understanding the kind of material I teach.”
It’s been pretty good, I have to say. I definitely went through a bit of an adjustment period which i think is common for anyone, any place that they’re new. I love the classes I teach. I have students who are really engaged, and it’s always nice to find out a semester or more after that there was something that resonated. That for me is the reward: I can peak the curiosity of my students whatever their backgrounds.
What made you start teaching?
When I finished my master’s at Seton Hall where I focused on diplomacy and international relations, I really wanted to get into the field. I wanted to either work with an international organization or an NGO; I was very passionate about diplomacy and development issues related to Africa and other parts of the world.
All of my friends are from all over the world, and just hearing their perspectives, which are so rich, and seeing the kind of contributions that they are making really inspired me.
I wanted to work at the United Nations when that focus evolved a little bit, and I realized that I can also teach as well. At the time, it was very competitive to get a job at the UN although I was fortunate enough to intern there. Getting a job I found was a bit more challenging than one would have imagined.
It was an eye opening experience because I realized there are different types of things I can do with my degree, and initially I toyed with the idea of doing international law because i’m very passionate about human rights issues, which I infuse in my courses where relevant. I then realized that maybe that’s not for me.
I thought let’s try teaching because someone had offered me a course at Rutgers, and I thought i’ll try this out. Like any new venture, it takes a little while to find your way, but I realized that i genuinely loved it. It fired me up years later in a way I hardly thought possible. I do hope at some point in my career to incorporate this idea of working at an NGO or doing some civil work. I hope that this is part of my career trajectory.
It was about five years ago that I thought, “Wow! I really love this!” I’ve been teaching now for about a decade, but it finally hit me that I love this, this is really me, and this is my calling. There may be other things, but for right now this is what I want to do. It’s great to see people contribute meaningfully, and my aim is to really make the world graspable. I really want to make my students institute agency. My good friend who was also a professor was really the one who exposed me to this idea, and I loved it. So, all credit due to her, that idea has really become a part of the person I am. My only job, really, is to help students understand the world in different way and understand their role in it. Whatever they’re doing, realize their ability to make a difference.
What interests you about politics?
What fascinates me are the voices of the people as agents of change and how people are trying to improve their lives. Politics is a struggle for power, and my interest in it is to see how people are dealing with everyday issues of development. What does development mean in our lives? What makes governments more responsive? Why do we have different variations and outcomes? That’s really why i’m passionate about it. More specifically, i’m interested in rural development and energy issues. Things that people at least on this side of the world don’t even give two seconds notice. Something like a light switch for many people is a huge deal. To turn it on and know there is going to be light; what are the kinds of things that we take for granted in this part of the world as part of development that really make a huge difference. That’s really what propels me in terms of my research and interests. What does development mean for other people and why are there such variations and outcomes? What kinds of things can we begin to think of as ways to improve people’s lives? But to do it not from the standpoint of someone from the outside coming in to do everything for someone, but how are people being empowered? I’m interested in empowerment and how people are empowered to improve their lives and take their governments to task, to change their communities and be a part of that process.
More specifically, of the politics/structure of sub-saharan Africa?
I grew up there in part, and there were questions I had as a child. I grew up in some very formative years: a period of coup d’etats, of unrest, of instability, of inflation, of a shortage of money. I mean all these sorts of things in terms of the monetary supply. I grew up in a very unique part of the country of Nigeria where there were really profound changes going on, changes I didn’t realize were profound until obviously decades later. Hindsight is always 20/20, and a few of those questions became a little bit more solid once I was in high school.
There were a few events that really bloomed large for me. One was the execution of an environmental activist in Nigeria who had been protesting for years about the state of affairs in the part of the country that is rich in oil. They wanted their communities to improve. They wanted some of that revenue put back in their communities. They were not seeing any positive changes to their communities, I mean this was an oil rich area. So, that execution, and finding out about it and watching a documentary which chronicled it really stuck with me. I was so outraged, I thought how could this happen?
My family and I literally left the country [Nigeria] a little bit before the last dictator came to power. That was very pivotal period as it [the execution] was under his rule. We literally left a year before he came to power. That really stuck with me, and because of that and just my worldview and being exposed to different kinds of people when I lived in Nigeria. I was exposed to academics, my mom is an academic and I was very curious about how the world works and issues of inequality.
For me it began as a puzzle: How is this country so rich yet so energy poor? Why were people being killed for just peacefully protesting and trying to make their ideas known? They’re talking on behalf of marginalized people, why would they be executed?
Why did you decide to become involved in Model UN?
I am not THAT involved in it, although I am sort of one of the unofficial advisors. Professor Khanan is actually the sort of main person. He’s accompanying them on the trip. I mean, I went to one or two things, but I only mention that to say that the Model UN is what contributed to my expanding worldly view in terms of being curious about other places in the world. Primarily because I came into contact with people from different parts than I, and it peaked my interest and I wanted to learn more. I had worked with the model UN at other universities and i’ve accompanied them on trips.
Of course here, I have been working with model african union as part of an extension of that. It’s a very different experience, but it’s very meaningful. That’s been something i’ve been proud of in terms of the students and delegates who go on these trips and get awards for their work. It’s been really great to have here, and to see students doing well.
What’s a word of advice you would give to a student looking to pursue a career in politics?
I would say two pieces of advice. First, read everything, read voraciously, read read read! Read so you can be more informed. The benefits of reading and knowing about different places… I mean you can’t even quantify it. That will open up worlds for you. It will help you tap into all kinds of spaces and different kinds of people you come into contact with. And those are the people that are most successful, I’ve found. My friends who I’ve known now for almost twenty years, these are the people who are most well read. I admire that. They are able to connect, and reading connects you to another world and other people.
Second, I would say just being open to different opportunities and different kinds of possibilities. So many people from a different time, and even now, go into college with this idea of what they’re going to do, and it’s more likely they’re going to end up doing something else entirely. Be open to the idea that you may be in different careers. You may have multiple jobs over the course of God knows how many years, but embrace it. With any of those experiences you learn something new.
And networking! If there is someone who’s interested in politics, network when you go events, go to a talk. When someone comes to speak on campus, ask questions! Trust me, at the end of that talk the person who is going to be most remembered is the person who asked the questions.Become involved and engaged. Be genuinely invested and that will open doors for you.Be curious, get out there and be open and network! I’ve known people who have done very very well with these kernels of advice.
Be open, network, connect with others, write back, correspond after you meet someone and are given their card or information.
Because you are so well versed in international relations, what’s a word of advice you would give to students in such a polarizing time in american politics?
Read and seek out diverse opinions. Don’t always search for or read stories or articles that align with our ideas. Be willing to explore difference. Ultimately, even if you still disagree with them, which you can, you will learn. Don’t be afraid to reach out across the aisle. It’s fine to have a difference of opinion, but in order to have a civil discourse and to learn be willing to exchange with different kinds of opinions. Even if you completely disagree with them, be willing to explore. Be curious, and do your research. Don’t take any story you see for granted or as factual, ask questions and critique! It makes you a better thinker, and it makes you connect with others in ways you may not have thought possible.
Thank you for the wonderful and insightful interview! HCXO