My name is Quinto Subi Okumu and I currently work in the medical field as an Operations Manager with one of the private health providers in Nairobi. I am a long way off from where I started my schooling journey, at Bumbe Primary School near the shores of Lake Victoria.

I was born in a family of eight. My father was a fisherman, but he passed on when I was in class 2. Within a year of his death, my mother also passed on. My stepbrother and grandmother took up the role of taking care of me up until I completed my primary school education.

Skip ahead to the time I was to join form 1, I had performed very well in my KCPE and my extended family were trying to fundraise for my school fees. My former head teacher heard had of Co-operative Bank Scholarships and approached a Sacco delegate in Busia, presenting my case. The delegates vetted me and I was among the five students that received the Co-operative Bank Scholarship in our area that year.

I went on to join Sigalame High School and sat for my KCSE examinations in 2011. I passed well and got an A, hence qualifying for the university scholarship program. My interests were in the sciences, so I decided to pursue Biochemistry at Technical University of Kenya.

I made the most of the internship opportunities at the bank before finishing my course. I strengthened my interpersonal skills, and I was exposed to people who really inspired me to be what I am today all while earning some money of my own.

With the internship allowance, I was able to support my grandmother and pay some school fees for my other siblings. So, when I finally graduated in 2018, I had gained more than just a degree. Thinking back, I do not think I would have completed High School if I did not get the scholarship. Perhaps I would have gone back home and become a fisherman like my father.

A relative confirmed this a few years back. He told me that as much as I had passed my primary school exams, I might not have advanced in my education. At the time I am writing this, I am the only person who has gone to University in my family and I do not take this fact for granted.