“I loved Biology, but biology didn’t love me back.” Esther Kibugi bursts into laughter as soon as she says it.

It is the kind of sentence that only makes sense after you’ve lived through it.

For years, Esther imagined herself becoming a doctor. Like many children, she believed her future would be written in a white coat. But somewhere during high school, that picture began to fade. Biology and physics, the very subjects she thought would carry her there, refused to cooperate.
Computer Studies, on the other hand, asked different questions. It rewarded curiosity, logic and creativity. Before long, Esther found herself looking forward to those lessons more than any other.

Without quite realising it, she had begun letting go of one dream and she was now discovering another.

When she missed the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) intake after high school, it felt like an unexpected detour. Her parents encouraged her to apply to Strathmore University to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Informatics and Computer Science. She did. “It was one of the best decisions I ever made,” she says with a smile.

Strathmore welcomed Esther with a series of small surprises.
She spent her first week trying to find lecture halls, accidentally replied to an email that had been sent to hundreds of students, and discovered, slightly too late, that meals at the Students’ Centre had to be paid for before eating. “It was a lot of culture shock,” she laughs.
Then there was the dress code.
Gone were the oversized sweatshirts and sweatpants she had grown comfortable in. Every morning now meant dressing for class with intention. At first, it felt unfamiliar. Today, she credits it with shaping the professionalism she carries into the workplace.

Like many students, Esther arrived expecting that if she simply continued doing what had always worked, everything else would naturally fall into place. The university challenged this assumption. “I realised you really have to work for what you want,” she says

Her second year became an important turning point. A dip in her academic performance prompted her to pause and rethink how she approached learning. Instead of becoming discouraged, Esther became more intentional with her studies. She discovered learning habits that suited her, made the library part of her routine, and realised that university was less about working harder than it was about working smarter.

Looking back, she considers that as one of the lessons that quietly shaped her, not because of the grades themselves, but because it taught her resilience, discipline and the importance of adapting.

Fortunately, Esther did not have to navigate that lesson alone. For much of her first year, she had kept to herself. University was exciting but unfamiliar, and she watched from the sidelines more than she participated.
That gradually changed.
The people she met became the people she leaned on, encouraging her, introducing her to new experiences, and reminding her that university was never meant to be experienced alone. “Most of the experiences I’ve had are because of friends,” she says. “You also realise the value of building your social capital when you need people the most.”  Looking back, she wishes she had invested in those friendships sooner because while lecturers teach lessons, friends shape the campus experience.
Outside the classroom, Esther found opportunities to serve.

She served as a Class Representative, joined the Academic Senate under the 16th Student Council, and remained actively involved in the Strathmore University Christian Union, where she participated in outreach activities and continued nurturing her faith. Leadership had always been part of her journey, but Strathmore gave it a new meaning. “Leadership is service.” Representing students meant more than forwarding announcements or attending meetings. It meant listening, following up issues with lecturers, helping solve problems and making sure fellow students felt heard. Through these experiences, Esther discovered that leadership was less about holding a position and more about showing up consistently for others. She also came to appreciate the University’s culture of openness and collaboration. “It has taught me how to work with people from different backgrounds,” she says.

In her third year, Esther’s world stretched beyond Kenya when she travelled to France for a two-week exchange programme focused on data. It was her first opportunity to experience a different academic and cultural environment, but what stayed with her most was not simply the travel. It was the clarity. “I realised my career would mostly go towards statistics, analytics and data rather than coding.”

She returned to Kenya with a renewed sense of direction. Determined to build on what she had discovered, Esther enrolled in professional courses in Data Analytics and Power BI through iLabAfrica, taking advantage of the practical training available to Strathmore students. The courses complemented what she had learnt in class, sharpened her technical skills and gave her greater confidence as she prepared to begin her career.

By the time Esther entered her final semester, she knew exactly what she wanted to pursue: data. She had invested in practical skills and now, all she needed was an opportunity–It arrived quietly, through a Careers Office email. The Strathmore Careers Office had shared a graduate opening for a Data Analyst position at Sun King. Esther applied, progressed through the recruitment process, and before graduation, secured her first professional role. Truly, luck is when preparedness meets opportunity.

The academic foundation from her Computer Science degree, the practical skills gained through iLabAfrica, the leadership experiences that strengthened her confidence and the opportunities shared through the Careers Office had all prepared her for that moment. “Strathmore values students and gives them opportunities,” she says.

Today, Esther looks to the future with quiet excitement. She hopes to pursue a master’s degree, continue growing in data and analytics and make more time for another passion she has quietly nurtured over the years, music and the arts. “Now that I’ve found what I love,” she says, “I’m so excited to grow in it and to grow as a person.”

If she could speak to the young lady who first walked through the gates of Strathmore, uncertain about what lay ahead, her advice would be simple: “You made one of the best decisions.”
Between letting go of one dream and discovering another, Esther Kibugi found far more than a career path. She found friendships that became her support system, opportunities that broadened her horizons, leadership that taught her to serve, and experiences that gave her the confidence to embrace a future she had never imagined.

Perhaps that is what her Strathmore journey was really all about. Not becoming the person she had always planned to be but discovering the person she was meant to become.  And maybe that is why the line she laughs about most has become the one that best tells her story.  “I loved Biology, but biology didn’t love me back.”

Sometimes, the dream that doesn’t work out is the one that quietly leads you to the life you were meant to build.

Article written by Benjamin Tait