Shakiyla Solomon-Ishaku
Shakiyla Solomon-Ishaku currently serves as the Rafiki School Headmaster at the Rafiki Village Nigeria. Before entering the field as a full-time missionary with the Rafiki Foundation, Shakiyla was involved in both domestic and international mission work. She led a Bible study while living in an apartment complex in Louisiana and taught English as a Second Language in Turkey and Iraq for a time. She first learned about Rafiki through a mentor who knew she had a heart for Nigeria. She felt called to serve with Rafiki after learning about the foundation’s many opportunities to serve the African people through orphan and widow care, education, teacher training, and Bible study. Shakiyla earned a bachelor’s degree in English and foreign languages with a concentration in education in 2015. She then received a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) master’s degree in 2018. Before entering the field, she taught ninth-through-twelfth grade English, speech, and creative writing. She also taught English 101 to first-generation college students at McNeese State University. Her experiences in Nigeria have been rich and fulfilling, and she thanks God for the opportunity to serve there.
