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“In the face of my entrepreneurship journey, I have failed so many times. I have worked on many projects that failed to take off. Although those situations were stressful, I reminded myself that it is important to never give up in the face of failure. Everyone fails and what sets apart successful from unsuccessful people is resilience. Always remember that regardless of how many times you fail, all you need is one win. The odds are always in your favor!”
Yegon pleaded with John Manners, KenSAP’s director, to slot him in for an interview. By the time they were having this conversation, there was only one more interview day left, and John told Yegon he would be allowed to interview but only if he completed all the short answer questions on the application, submitted it online and made it to the interview by 4pm the next day. Yegon lived hundreds of miles from the interview venue, in a rural region where cyber cafes were few and far between and public transportation was unreliable at best. Truth be told, even while extending this offer, John didn’t actually expect Yegon to make it for the interview. Imagine his surprise when Yegon strutted in the next day, with his application turned in, ready to make his case.
“I think intellectual pursuits of any kind require time and I’m lucky to have been accorded this time when I was young (and even now). I am a male last born child in an otherwise large family. Therefore, I had no chores or any necessary responsibilities. This left all my time to myself. I don’t think most people have this privilege, especially girls in communities where they are expected to do all the household chores and still carve out some time for their passions. The same can be said of anyone coming from a marginalized community in which survival is the only virtue that can be pursued.”
Benard Kibet arap Kogo graduated from Colby College in 2019 with a BS in Econ-Math and Finance. He is a two-time recipient of the Davis Projects for Peace, a $10,000 grant which he used to build a concrete classroom at his former primary school as well as a piped water system for schools and hospitals in his village. While at Colby, Benard interned at Spark MicroGrants in Kampala, Uganda and after graduation he received the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship to study disability in Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa and India. He currently works as Kenya Field Staff Management Specialist at One Acre Fund.
Abigael Cheruiyot is a post-doctoral Fellow at Harvard’s Joslin Diabetes Center. She graduated from Colby College with a BA in Biology and Biochemistry in 2012 and received her PhD in Oncology from Washington University in St. Louis in 2020. Abigael has worked as a research assistant in several labs across the world, from Tanzania to Kenya to the United States, where she is currently located. Her work as a researcher revolves around improving macro health outcomes from a microcellular level.
Having a grandmother who does not have a formal education yet is so eager to learn about his studies and research work continues to challenge Terry to present his work in a direct, easy-to-understand manner. The misinformation and obfuscation of facts surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic really drove the point home that if science is not well communicated, its value would be lost to the detriment of society.
Abel Kipkorir Boreto is an Investment Associate at Novastar Ventures, a leading Nairobi-based venture capital manager dedicated to finding and supporting the next generation of exceptional entrepreneurs that design and execute innovative business models to profitably serve Africa’s mass markets. Abel is passionate about entrepreneurship in Africa and hopes to play his part in transforming the African startup ecosystem through his current investment role.
Lydia is the seventh of thirteen children, born to an agricultural family in western Kenya. She completed her primary school education with good grades that guaranteed her a place at a well-reputed academic institution. However, due to limited funds in her family, she was forced to repeat the last two years of primary school to let her own siblings go ahead with high school. After 2 extra years in primary school, Lydia was able to score well enough to earn a place at one of the most coveted national schools in Kenya. At her high school, Lydia steadily rose through the ranks of academic excellence until finally, she graduated with a top score and earned a spot in KenSAP’s 2007 cohort.
Nicholas Cheruiyot Sang is a portfolio manager at Britam Asset Managers, a subsidiary of Britam Holdings LTD., which is a diversified financial services group with insurance and asset management as the core business. Nicholas graduated with a BA in Economics and Statistics from the University of Pennsylvania and began his career in finance in a variety of firms, both in the United States and in Kenya, where his expertise as a financial analyst continues to grow.
Growing up in the Maasai community where most girls face the prospect of little to no education and early arranged marriage for a bride price in the form of livestock, Shina was ever conscious that she was fortunate in being born to two teachers who saw immense value in educating their daughters. Given her journey, growing up in remote Loitokitok on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro to working for BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager in NYC, Shina knows what it’s like to make big dreams manifest into reality through pure grit and industry.
