Last weekend, the roads led to The Starehe Girls Centre for their 20th Anniversary. For me, it was a reminder of a journey that has shaped the woman I have become.
The journey to joining this school was not an easy one. One of my primary school teachers recommended the school to me while I was in class seven. That’s when I learned about the requirements for joining, which include an exemplary score and a compelling personal story. These were the top requirements for receiving a scholarship.
My admission to the school was not an easy journey. The admission date was in February of 2008, if my memory serves me right. A chaotic time for all Kenyans; it was around the same time that post-election violence was taking place. The tension in different towns was top-notch, and travel did not come easily. My uncle at the time offered to drop my mum and I at the school, it was such a relief because travelling with public means of transport at the time was almost impossible from Nakuru.
The journey to the school filled me with lots of anxiety for different reasons, one being that the road was not safe and we did not know what to expect, and two, this opportunity meant the world to me, and I couldn’t wait to explore a life beyond home, joining other girls from all over the country.
When I stepped into Starehe Girls Centre in 2008, I was shocked and surprised at the same time. Our class was the cohort that “completed” the school, encompassing students from form one to form four. The school had just begun in 2005, and that’s how we became part of the pioneer classes. A fascinating story that I will live to tell.
I met brilliant girls from all the corners of Kenya, and fitting in was not easy; every girl here represented excellence, and this is how our foundation was laid.
Being here instilled discipline, hard work, resilience, and shaped my perspective. I started seeing the world in a different lens. It was here that I explored my writing and poetry skills. It was here that I found my voice as a student leader, and it was here that I learnt what it means to volunteer and give back to my community. Starehe challenged the child in me, moulded the young woman I was becoming, and offered me a world I would have not had access to had I attended any other school. While here, I also got to meet philanthropists like Manu Chandaria, which cemented the idea of giving back. We often repeated the words “To whom much is given, much is expected,” and watching the work of Manu Chandaria, Eddah Gachukia and all other donors who made it possible for me and other girls to access a world-class education cemented the idea of giving back.
I left the centre a new woman who was equipped to conquer and change the world, and I couldn’t have asked for better. Over the years, alumnus from the school have found ways to give back to their families, the school and the communities they come from. Meeting with “old girls” from the school always reminds me that there is a lot to be done, and we all have a small part to play in the end. Most of the alumni are out here changing the world and rewriting narratives of the communities they serve. If you told me this would be our story 20 years down the line, I wouldn’t have imagined it. From my class group alone, I am happy to be affiliated with lawyers, doctors, engineers, businesswomen, artists, and financial advisors, to name a few.
When I received the invite to join the Starehe@20 Anniversary, I knew a trip down memory lane would be inevitable. Being at the event was nostalgic; it reminded me of the little girl who walked those gates naive, anxious, and afraid of the unknown, but left the same gates four years later bolder, wiser, and ready for what the world would bring her way.
I am forever grateful for this part of my life; it remains the story that shaped my early adult years and continues to shape the person I am today. As I always say, “I am the product of people investing in a little girl and her dreams”.
Within my means, I hope I can inspire others and lead change, especially for young girls and boys, through education.
I am a proud alumnus of the Starehe Girls Centre! I would like to encourage young girls out here with big dreams to consider joining the school. Your story will never be the same again.
