Life today moves at a dizzying pace. One notification after another, deadlines stacking up, and technology evolving before we even master the last upgrade, and it sometimes feels like we are sprinting just to stand still. Yet in all this motion, something deeply human can slip quietly through the cracks: the simple, essential connection between people.

As an academic institution, every new intake of students breathes fresh energy into our halls, young men and women arriving with unique stories, diverse backgrounds, talents, and hopes for the future. Parents walk alongside them, eager to ask how their son or daughter might become part of Strathmore, curious about the culture, the values, and the journey that awaits. In the flurry of registrations, timetables, and first lectures, it can be tempting to let this moment blur into routine. Too often, we unintentionally reduce them to numbers on a list or faces in a crowd, forgetting that each one carries dreams, questions, and needs that truly deserve our attention.

Pause for a moment and look around. The colleague you greet in the hallway, the student sitting quietly at the back of the lecture hall, the friend who always says “I’m fine.” Who are they, really? What burdens are they carrying that no one else sees? Are they genuinely okay, or just putting on a brave face? It’s easy to stay at the surface, to see only what’s visible. But behind every smile is a story, behind every silence a struggle, and behind every face a dream waiting to be understood. When we take the time to notice, not just what people do, but who they are, we give them something technology or busyness can never replace: the gift of being seen, valued, and cared for.

This year, and especially during #SUFoundersWeek in particular, our theme: Personalized Attention: Care for the Person, invited us to reflect on this very idea. How do we form persons, not just professionals? How do we care for the individual, not simply the role they occupy? Guiding us on this reflection was Prof. Enase Okonedo, VC of Pan-Atlantic University, who drew us back to the wisdom of St. Josemaría: to care is to recognize dignity, nurture potential, and walk with each person on their journey.

“,…remember that he or she is a child of God,”(St. Josemaría Escrivá, The Forge, No. 451) Prof. Enase began, her words carrying both weight and warmth. It was a simple truth, yet one that cut through the noise of everyday busyness. Each person, she reminded us, is created in a unique and unrepeatable way. This should shape the way we interact, teach, and lead, because behind every encounter lies a sacred dignity and a vocation that stretches far beyond titles, roles, or achievements.

From this perspective, our core business as an academic institution cannot be reduced to merely passing on subject matter, theories, or technical knowledge. Education, as Prof. Enase emphasized, is not just about what students know, but who they become. Who do we help our students to be?

To answer that, we must pause and ask ourselves: do we really take the time to sit with our students and listen to their vision for themselves? Do we notice the small things that matter, when someone wants to share a win, when they offer a simple compliment to a colleague on a well done project they did, or even when they’re just not having a good day? Our role extends far beyond the classroom and workplace; it is about being present in those everyday moments that remind each person they are seen and valued. 

This takes on even greater weight in the face of rising mental health challenges. Too often, we look back with regret, wishing we had noticed the silence, the absence, or the unspoken struggle. Personalized Attention is an invitation to be more intentional: to slow down, to look beyond the surface, and to care enough to listen.

Yet caring alone is not enough. For students to truly open up, they must trust us. And trust is earned. It comes from walking with integrity, showing empathy, and being clear about our purpose. People are more willing to follow when they know we ourselves are rooted and moving in the right direction.

As we guide students through their academic and professional journeys, we must remember that shaping a person goes deeper than building intellect. At the very heart of education are values and culture. Knowledge without values can be dangerous; it risks producing brilliance without wisdom. Quoting Theodore Roosevelt, Prof. Enase highlighted: “If you educate a man in knowledge and not in values, you create a menace to society.” Her words were clear: the real test of education lies not in grades or qualifications, but in forming individuals who carry integrity, compassion, and responsibility into the world.

And yes, technology is here with us, reshaping work, learning, and communication. It has brought and made us more efficient, but it cannot replace presence, empathy, or care. “Efficiency and discipline are not opposed to care.” We are called to be fully present, to bring dignity into action, to live out care in the everyday.

Because at the end of it all, what could be more whole, more profoundly ordinary, than the way we treat those around us?

Article written by: Jemmy M. Kamau