By Nicholas Akasula
For Sheilla Namuddu Ariel, aviation is more than a career, it is part of a bigger purpose. Alongside her growing interest in the aviation industry, she has built a life centred on serving others, especially young people seeking direction and opportunity.
She describes herself as someone who finds fulfilment in bringing smiles to people’s faces and making a difference in their lives.
Career built on purpose
A PRINCE2 (Projects In Controlled Environments) practitioner with a diploma in international law and a certificate in public relations, Namuddu currently works as a Training Officer at Das Aviation School in Entebbe. Beyond her professional role, she is also the founder of Beyond Mentorship Foundation, an initiative dedicated to empowering young people and helping them overcome self-imposed limitations.
Her journey into mentorship began in 2016 when she volunteered with BRAC Uganda at a young age. She started as an adolescent rights promoter before being promoted to Goal Coach, a role that shaped her understanding of leadership and community support.
“Through that opportunity, I empowered young girls in my community through life skills training, livelihood support and financial literacy,” she says.
She later joined Ideal Lifetime Vision, an American organisation, where she served as a life coach. Looking back, she believes each step in her journey prepared her for the work she does today.
Her move into aviation came in 2019 when she secured a role as a Public Relations Officer at an aviation school.
“I was later promoted to Operations Manager in August 2022, and that made me even more interested in aviation,” she says.
Building beyond mentorship foundation
While her aviation career was taking shape, another calling was becoming clearer. Driven by compassion and a desire to uplift others, she established Beyond Mentorship Foundation.
“The initiative was created to empower young people to break barriers of self-limitation,” she explains.
The foundation focuses on practical empowerment. Its programmes support young people in areas such as financial literacy, self-discovery and career guidance. It also works with single mothers, equipping them with skills such as sewing, baking and book-making so they can earn sustainable incomes.
“Our programmes are made possible with support from experts in different fields,” she says.
For Namuddu, the foundation grew out of her own personal experiences and desire for growth.
“My inspiration came from wanting to become a better person and also from the desire to help others become better,” she says.
Lessons from the journey
Like many initiatives driven by passion, the journey has not been without challenges.
“At one point in my life, I hit rock bottom, and the only person I had was God. I said several times, ‘Father, if you don’t come through for me, I am no more.’ He is a faithful God, and that difficult season strengthened my relationship with Him,” she recalls.
She says the foundation was first inspired by gaps she observed in the aviation industry, but its vision soon expanded beyond that sector.
Starting out was not easy. Winning the trust of stakeholders took time, and the team often had to use personal funds to run workshops and community outreach activities.
“That was financially frustrating for us,” she says.
Being a youth-led initiative also came with its own challenges.
“We learnt through tough experiences, but we appreciate the journey because it taught us valuable lessons,” she adds.
Today, the organisation continues to operate on a modest scale while building partnerships and attracting volunteers. One of its key programmes is a mentorship scheme divided into peer-to-peer mentoring and mentoring by professionals in different fields.
“We currently operate in small groups, but we believe one win leads to another,” she says.
Namuddu’s vision remains much bigger than what has been achieved so far. She hopes to expand the foundation’s impact, but recognises that this will require stronger capacity building, financial support and more opportunities for skills training.
For her, both aviation and mentorship are avenues for transformation. Whether in the classroom, the workplace or the community, she remains committed to helping others rise.
Her story is one of purpose, resilience and a steady determination to leave people better than she found them.
