Who knew that just by writing a short article in German, on the theme of the family, a scholarship opportunity will present itself. Well this is the fortunate case of Kasyoka Mutunga, a third year student at Strathmore law school, who has received a golden opportunity to attend a university of her choice in Germany to study the language for a whole month.

 

Kasyoka was introduced to the writing idea by one of her lecturers, Dr. James Ikobwa, who urged his class to apply for a DAAD scholarship which would give them an opportunity to go to Germany. “I wrote about the feminist movement in both countries; Kenya and Germany and how it has affected families in both countries,” she says.

 

DAAD is a private, federally and state-funded, self-governing national agency of the institutions of higher education in Germany. It does not offer programs of study or courses, but awards competitive, merit-based grants for use toward study and/or research in Germany at any of the accredited German institutions of higher education.

 

A month later after submitting her article, Kasyoka received an email that congratulated her on her piece, requesting her to attend an interview where she can present what she wrote to a panel. What stood out during her presentation was the fact that she presented her article on power point, which set her apart from the rest of the students competing for the same opportunity.

 

Kasyoka hopes that during her visit she will be able to meet new people, better her German, and understand how German law is practiced in the country. She urges students to look out for opportunities that lecturers talk about or mention and to be keen on what is happening around them.