Charles Gombe, a 4^th year Bachelor of Commerce (BCOM) student, is one individual whose story is a true depiction of the saying, the reward of suffering is experience, and that time and again, the difficult  roads and paths we encounter in life are signs that lead to beautiful destinations.

 

Gombe’s series of experiences began when he was looking for internship – to fulfill the university requirement for 3^rd year students. The BCOM student who is now in his final year of studies, hinted that looking for an internship is not easy.

 

I started applying for my internship at the end of July last year. During the time, I made countless applications to different organizations with none of them responding to my requests. My patience was running out and I needed to find a place fast. I made a copy of my Curriculum Vitae and submitted it to the Careers Development Service office, anticipating that something good would come out of it, but to no avail.

 

The finance major student who doubles up as an administrative assistant in his department, School of Management and Commerce (SMC), recalls how he once approached NIC Bank – a business development partner with the institution. During this period, the calm and collected student was very excited that the bank would give him an opportunity. After seeking an audience with the bank, they invited me to undertake an aptitude test in December last year; I was so excited and optimistic.

 

Gombe’s moment of happiness and optimism was short lived; contrary to his expectations. After two weeks of waiting he received a regret letter from the bank, despair kicked in and Gombe was on the verge of giving up.

 

The New Year began – 2017, and the dispirited Gombe had nothing to show off. Giving up appeared to be the only option remaining for him. The resolute Gombe vowed to play his last card; he paid his Dean (SMC) – Dr. David Wang’ombe a visit and unhappily explained his tribulations.

 

Out of the blue, the visit to the Dean’s office was my shining light at the end of the tunnel. Dr. Wang’ombe directed me to the Strathmore Enterprise Development Centre (SEDC), a centre which successfully landed me an internship at Jamjo’s Enterprise Limited – a company situated in Nairobi.

 

The long nerve-racking search was over; the finance specialist in the making had now secured a place. His new home, Jamjo’s Enterprise Limited, was very receptive and warmly welcomed him.

 

I remember one morning getting into the office very early, other employees had not arrived yet. Thanks to the service and leadership skills I have acquired at Strathmore University, I voluntarily took it upon myself to sweep and mop the office. When the other employees arrived, they were very much impressed and commended me for taking the initiative to do the cleaning. Going forward, besides the normal financial duties which were assigned to me on a daily basis, up until the tail end of my internship I gladly swept and mopped the office.

Other than mopping the floor, there was a time I identified a loophole in the system used by the organization. The sales captured on their systems did not correspond to the quantity of the products being sold. I instantly raised the issue to the management and the problem was rectified. I totally attribute this achievement to the knowledge I acquired in class.

 

Gombe’s exceptional illustration of humility propelled him to be offered a job at the end of his internship period.

The now contented and grateful student promised to honor the job offer as soon as he fulfills his academic objectives.

 

Gombe counsels his colleagues to never give up when life’s hardships come their way.