By Zoe, Nairobi
In the earlier part of 2015, I only had one wish—to become an interior designer. This ideal career path influenced my relative ignorance to subjects such as physics and chemistry. However, upon coming home one day and announcing my failure on the math exam we took, Mummy Yundi told me to try and work harder. Despite missing the first term of year eight, she knew I could get better in all my subjects. She told me I had the capability of becoming a doctor; soon after, I began extensive research on cancer. This drove me to want to become a pediatric oncologist, resulting also from my love for children.
Another path I embarked on was becoming a children’s author. My first story was about ten or eleven pages long, entitled “Uncle Daniel.” My next story, still pending completion, is called “Sought and Found.” Lastly, I am writing a series of books called the Denim Rider, dedicated to all of my younger siblings.
Roughly around the same time I started writing my stories, I developed an interest in photography. I love taking pictures of landscapes and plants, which I think is relevant to this program, considering our work with the environment. I am thinking about making a portfolio of some of my work, but I will have to wait for my schedule to clear up!
Sometime in June or July, my art teacher handed out forms to three of my classmates. Being curious, I asked for one. I discovered the National Museum of Kenya was running a program for girls in reference to science, technology, engineering, art, and math. I thought this would finally be my chance to succeed—I kept joining sports, but was always ignored because I was short. I thought tennis would be ideal for me, but I would have had to pay, and things were really tight at the time. I feared joining extra-curricular activities because, to be honest, I was afraid to be ignored again. I would have rather done something else, like study or be alone. However, here came my big break! Only one problem… I was twelve, and had no chance of aging to be fourteen overnight. The next day, my teacher gave me an identical form; I filled it out nervously and handed it in. My mother and Mummy Yundi engaged the whole family in fervent prayer and encouragement, saying, “in the name of Jesus, you will be chosen for this program.” I had enough of God’s grace to go for the interview, and in the holy name of Jesus in response to powerful prayers from all my relatives, I was declared an accepted candidate.
In this program, I am often faced with the challenge that I am the youngest and have exceedingly different mentalities from my colleagues within the program. Therefore, I do not often find myself able to engage in conversation with them. I also speak very little Kiswahili, making it a bit difficult to relate to the people at Mukuru—this is worsened by the colour of my skin. On the whole, this program has helped me to see another side of the world, and I am hoping to help people in return. I want to surprise the world, proving that even young girls like us can make a big difference on earth, such as by traveling to Minnesota. So, well, Minnesota here I come!