Ishaq Jumbe
Edwin Otieno Ouko
Edwin Ouko won a scholarship to Light Academy Nairobi after hearing of
the recruitment from a cousin and decided to give it a try. “I had
nothing to lose as my parents were not employed at the time and were
really struggling with my brother who was in a local secondary school,”
he says.
It was jubilation all around when the youngest in a family of seven won
a full scholarship and was admitted at Light Academy Karen Campus. It
was here that the young scholar, visiting the capital city for the first
time came face to face with what he describes as a totally awesome
learning experience.
“I was amazed at the facilities offered at Light Academy Nairobi and I
just realized that I had been offered the best available opportunity an
ambitious scholar such as myself could hope to get,” he says. “We had
cutting edge learning conveniences and I remember comparing our diet to
students from national school and realizing that we had been truly
blessed,” he adds.
Edwin seized the opportunity by the forelock and did not disappoint.
When they announced the results of the 2018 KCSE, he was the third
overall in the country and his teachers earnestly embarked on the
process of securing an institution that would offer their ambitious
former student the best opportunity to realize his potential.
“I wanted a place that was a continuation of what I had come to get used
to at Light Academy Nairobi and Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) fitted the bill. It was a research university that encouraged
hands on learning,” he said.
MIT is the world’s top university according to Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings.
A few of his friends advised him to manage his expectations by selecting
universities that were easy to secure as MIT was too difficult.
“However the career and counselling department at his former school
assured him that his dreams were valid and he was soon facing the
interviewing board of MIT.
“When I mentioned that I had visited four countries over the
course of my secondary education as a participant in the International
Festival of Language and Culture, an extra-curricular activity I have
been participating I since I Joined form 1 at Light Academy, they were
impressed enough to give me a spot,” says Ouko.
Today he is a student at MIT on a full scholarship studying Biomedical Engineering.
Ouko says that many look down upon extracurricular activities in school
as a waste of time but they are indeed important for the overall
learning experience.
“I know that someone paid to give me a break in life and cannot wait to return the favour by giving back to Light Academy.”
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