This archive report was first published on 25 November 2019.
Published on November 25, 2019, Scholastica Kariuki-Githinji is the Dean of School of Arts and Humanities at Daystar University.
As the dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, Scholastica Kariuki-Githinji's days are filled with meetings with faculty and students. She also teaches, often for six to nine hours a week, and manages the various departments within the school.
Despite the demands of her role, Scholastica prioritizes self-care, spending time with her family, praying, and reading outside of academia. She also values community service and church activities, and enjoys listening to music on her daily commute.
As a teacher and manager, Scholastica has learned to manage burnout through good time-management, planning, and prioritizing. She also emphasizes the importance of being self-aware and knowing one's limits.
With a background in counselling psychology and educational psychology, Scholastica approaches leadership with a caring and nurturing style. She advises would-be leaders to avoid autocratic styles and instead adopt consultative leadership, which can help realize shared goals.
Reflecting on her past, Scholastica acknowledges that she made mistakes as a young mother, such as beating her children. However, through her training and research, she now understands the negative impact of such behavior and would advise her younger self to save better and pursue her PhD before settling down.
As a psychologist, Scholastica is deeply concerned about the levels of suicide among young people and believes that adolescents need more attention and support. She advocates for formalizing counselling in schools and training psychologists to work with this population.
