Stephen Odora

"You can now call me Rotaractor." Those words felt strange to say out loud, until I understood exactly what they meant. On Thursday, 3rd September 2026, at Acholi Inn in Gulu City, I was inducted into the Rotaract Club of Gulu University "The Elephants" by the District Governor of Rotary District 9213 @rotaryd9213, DG Dr. Gerald Obai, @dgrotaryd9213 What made the moment unforgettable wasn't just the certificate in my hands. It was realizing that the man pinning that honour on me had also stood at the front of my medical school lecture hall, teaching me long before he ever knew I'd be standing before him this way. Dr. Gerald Obai didn't just welcome us into the Rotary @Rotary family, he told us how, in the early 2000s, during the hardest years of the post-conflict period in Northern Uganda, he and a handful of others fought tooth and nail to keep the Rotary Club of Gulu @RotaryGulu alive. No guarantees. Just resilience, humility, and a fierce belief that "service above self" is not a slogan, it's a discipline you practice when it's hardest to. Out of that struggle came every Rotary and Rotaract club now serving the Acholi subregion, and a body of visible, measurable impact in people's lives. Listening to him, something clicked. I come from a home where relatives still face real gaps: in education, healthcare, income, basic care. That's exactly why I'm training to be a doctor: not one confined to four hospital walls, but one who shows up in communities, in the shortest time possible, with whatever I have to give. Dr. Gerald Obai's story was proof, standing right in front of me, that this kind of life is possible, and worth every sacrifice. I owe real gratitude to my #Rotaract Club President, Aweri Isaac franklyn, whose quiet persistence in inviting me finally paid off, and to my mentor, Rtr Mercy Cynthia, for her guidance along the way. The whole family of the Rotaract Club of Gulu University has been so amazing to me and I am really grateful. @PromiseNations , @jonahood25, @JanatSuubi, @LondoCristine , @PaulJovan9845, @DoreenAsianzu @OgenaOpio @ssembuulejohn among others This induction isn't the goal. It's the beginning of a lifelong commitment, to serve with compassion, to build alongside people who believe change happens when we do it together, and to keep choosing service above self, always. Rotaractor Asingya Felix Mumbere, signing up for a lifetime of showing up. #Rotaract #ServiceAboveSelf #RotaryDistrict9213 #FutureDoctor #GuluUniversity @baita_b_ben @odorasteph @DrMutungaEA @agabagift2 @gerald_toolo @AttoGladys @DrOribaDan @FrancisOk0t1 @DrOtileUg @OchiengJos70609 @mikeowe02071979 @rkalyes1 @NewtonAllan @kyamageroandrew @BenOngomTweets @TweetsbyHenry @Kkids_Foundatn @Bryan_ksg @dr_katumwa @keithnamu @RubabindaJr @Rotaract_MUK