Growth in agriculture… is there anything cool for the youth?
I was born in a remote village called Pinan in West Pokot County. My parents are farmers who had 10 children, 2 boys and 8 girls, and I am the fifth born the family. I was lucky to attend school as my parents did not believe in traditions like female circumcision and early marriage.
I attended a village school, Pinan Primary, where I attained 359 marks in my KCPE examination in 2007. I later joined St. Teresa’s Tartar Girls in 2008. I remember my father had to sell a piece of land and pay ten thousand shillings so that I could be admitted into form 1.
This was before I secured the Co-operative Bank Foundation Scholarship. The scholarship lessened the fee burden on our family and enabled my parents to support my siblings. I completed high school in 2011, having scored an A in KCSE examinations. I then joined the University of Nairobi in 2013 where I studied Actuarial Science, under the CBF University Scholarship Program.
During my time in University, I was able to work as an intern at Co-operative Bank Kitale Branch during my holidays. These opportunities enabled me to develop people management skills, interpersonal and communication skills, as well as an ability to network at an early age, greatly contributing to my professional and social development.
The internship program also encouraged us to save some money by joining the Co-operative Bank SACCO. With the saving, I managed to buy some assets like sheep, which my mother is still rearing to date. Almost immediately after graduating in 2017, I got a job opportunity and started working with Syngenta as an Actuarial Climate Change Analyst.
I would not have been able to accomplish these great academic and professional achievements without the help of the Co-operative Bank Foundation scholarship. I remain indebted to the Co-operative Bank Foundation for the phenomenal assistance over the year.