Ian Mwamunga, a #Classof2020 graduate pursued a  Bachelor of Business Information Technology degree. A young ambitious man whose time growing up was split between Chuka (Meru South), and Mombasa. He was happy to share his #StrathmoreExperience with us.

Initially, I was not quite sure of what I wanted to pursue, but my parents being in tech were of the idea that I pursue a  Bachelor of Business Information Technology at Strathmore University and looking back, oh boy! They do know how to make great decisions for me (when they do).

My life at Strathmore University has been great, to say the least. A week after joining Strathmore, I joined the Karate team, where I went on to become the captain in both my third and fourth year. I would not say I was the best in the team. We had really special talents in there and I think all the successes I saw in the ring was because my team made our training sessions super competitive.

From Karate to teaching…

There is so much to say about my Karate experience. For starters, I bagged ten medals, the most valuable player and captains award for 2018, and a Coaches award for 2017. My Community Based Attachment was an entirely new adventure if I may say so. I became a “teacher” for four months at a local primary school in Miritini Estate, Mombasa county. Getting close to and interacting with kids from humble backgrounds was especially wholesome for me. Seeing how intelligent they are and how much limitations they face to reach their best was both a heartbreaking  and an inspiring experience. It taught me resilience.

Through the Community Outreach Programme, my good friend Prof. Izael Da Silva and I got a load of revision books for candidates and I am happy to say that in 2019, a school that had not a student get 400 marks in 15 years finally had one, and the overall mean shot up by 21.12%. I also had a short stint at the Macheo Achievement Programme as a mentor to high school students. I plan to actively give back to Macheo.

I juggled a lot of other things; which I saw more as a responsibility than a special selection such as speaking to parents about my experiences, being a class representative, and being in the Student Council elections committee.

I also had a chance to go to Sweden for a 6-month exchange program at the prestigious Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm. Since there was no COVID-19 lockdowns in Sweden till August, I had a prolonged summer and a surreal experience with loads of fun, lessons, and growth.

A wrong password

While presenting a very well worked out Web-Application at Menengai Lab to Ben Mundama and Bernard Alaka, I remember being so confident and telling them with a lot of conviction, “See, the thing is, this system is foolproof and if you input the wrong password, you cannot log in”.

It was rather obvious that this was a basic security requirement for any system. Ben Mundama indulged me and said, “Input a wrong password”, which I did. Shocker on me, it logged in and heaven knows a night before the code was working! We just laughed and I had to go back and do it all over again. Got a very weak A in that unit but I loved it all the same.

What next?

The COVID-19 Pandemic is hot on our heels. Personally, I think the worst thing we can do is to stop living.

My plans are to go straight into pursuing a Master’s degree at Strathmore and hopefully have a role to play in the institution that I have come to fall so much in love with. It is a special community. I think it is clear what Strathmore focuses on, for those who open their eyes wide enough. It is an institution focused on high-quality teaching, research, and service to society which of course is a wonderful thing. My default experiences, as a classical Strathmore student, I believe place me well in post-school environments.

Passions can be learnt, and interests can be developed

My belief is that passions can be learnt, and interests can be developed. Please understand in the world of today, the skills needed for the future of work are exponentially changing and you will be required to constantly upskill. Do your evaluations and see what will fit you best, consult people in the industry, and your networks or parents. There are not many options other than that.

In whichever School you find yourself in at Strathmore, go in, and have loads of fun!

 

This article was written by Francis Kabutu.

 

Would you like to share your experience of living through the circumstances brought by the Covid-19 pandemic? Kindly email: communications@strathmore.edu