Writing in pen and ink the year before his untimely death at age 64, Calestous Juma sought to illuminate the personal path he took and to encourage others to make their own. He was always an influencer (what else would you call someone with over 100,000 Twitter followers?) long before the term became common currency. Whether as a science teacher, journalist, scholar, or policy pioneer, he sought to bring knowledge and vision to the hard work of making development sustainable. In this very personal account, Juma takes us from his childhood in a fishing town on the shores of Lake Victoria, through his adventures in journalism, to his intellectual growth and emergence in the corridors of power in national and international environmental policymaking and academia. His trademark humor and sharing of political cartoons opened the door to frank exchanges and too many partnerships to count. read the manuscript agreed: it must be shared with the world. We hope it will inspire you to contribute to the work ahead.