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.
“I am a true manifestation of the phrase “It takes a village to raise a child”. My success is a culmination of different support systems that have enabled me to dream big and achieve greater.”
Shina excelled in primary school, ranked first among girls in Kajiado District in her KCPE and earned a place in Moi Girls High School - Eldoret with her school fees paid for by the Kenya Education Fund (KEF). Her streak of success continued at Moi Girls where she emerged as the top female student in Rift Valley Province in her KCSE. After high school, she was admitted to KenSAP and eventually admitted to Harvard University, where she studied Economics and Psychology. She graduated from Harvard in 2016 and landed herself a spot at BlackRock Inc. where she works to date. Shina is one of KenSAP’s top alumni donors and a member of KenSAP’s Board of Directors.
She also works hard to bring a positive impact to the Loitokitok community, enabling young students in her home village to access education and other opportunities through scholarships and mentorship. Even as she gains fulfillment working at BlackRock, Shina is working toward eventually returning to Kenya to incentivize change in her community.
“Her streak of success continued at Moi Girls where she emerged as the top female student in Rift Valley Province in her KCSE. After high school, she was admitted to KenSAP and eventually admitted to Harvard University, where she studied Economics and Psychology.”
When she is not working to better understand how social media can be used to educate people about financial wellness, she can be found at her local gym, volunteering in different NewYork neighborhoods or travelling around different parts of the world.
