Meet…
Dr. Boikai Twe, the Chair of Psychology at Sinclair, who is passionate about helping young people.
Why he’s interesting…
Growing up in Liberia, he would hang out with homeless boys because he thought if he hung out with them, he would find something important. The boys shared with him how difficult their lives were and as a result, he decided he wanted to do something to help them. He began to realize that he had an interest in helping young people develop their potential.
Dr. Twe began teaching at Sinclair in 1988. He said the reason why he chose to teach at Sinclair is because the very first day he arrived in the U.S, he came to Dayton. Immediately after he started working at Sinclair, he helped establish the African American Culture Club and the African American Studies program. In the community, he developed rites of passage programs, which became the Dayton Mentorship Program for 2 years. For 26 years, he continues to be involved in Pre-Kwanzaa events at Sinclair.
Dr. Twe looks forward to seeing an improved world, with a specific emphasis on an improved African American community. Also, he looks forward to returning home and contributing something, like teaching at a University, working for an advisory board, or a non-profit organization, and wants to spend time with his family, since he’s been away from Liberia for more than forty-two years.
Dr.Twe said success means sacrifice. In order to accomplish goals it will require hard work and dedication.
“To achieve anything, anything important, it requires sacrifice, you have to sacrifice to achieve anything important. You have to put in the work oftentimes, when you’re not even seeing the results of the work,” Twe said. “You also have to go beyond the minimum requirements, when someone is asking you to do something, you have to go beyond the minimum requirements to really achieve something important. You also should be willing to do something for free, even when you’re not getting paid because oftentimes, it indicates your level of commitment.”
Twe suggested that students should be involved in internships because through volunteer work, he found an opportunity to live in the U.S. to study psychology.
He said right after high school, he began to volunteer as a student at the University of Liberia, working with homeless youth and thus forming a way to study psychology in the U.S. He said when one makes sacrifices, volunteers, and goes beyond the minimum requirements, there are benefits and skills you will eventually acquire.
He also said that spending a lot of time in the community enabled him to become a better teacher and a better professional, therefore spending time in your community can be advantageous to your career.
Students interested in the African American Studies program at Sinclair can register for classes like AFR 1100, African American Studies, HIS 1105 African American History, PSY 1160 African American Psychology and LIT 2234, Literature of Africa, Asia & Latin America, among others.
Maiya Kyles-Stewart
Reporter