In every crop of freshmen, there will be those seemingly quiet and reserved students; those who attend classes, sit for CATs and exams, and head straight home. A quick hello to those they know as they take a meal to go, likely to watch in bed with a good show. At the start of her four years as a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies student, Jemmy was one of those students. If you didn’t see her in class, you might not see her at all. If you think you have spotted her, think again! It may have been her identical twin.

One might wonder, as a BIS student, a future diplomat or an ambassador, how does one get away with four years of quiet attendance? The answer? They don’t. Jemmy certainly hasn’t. Following that first year, she slowly began to shed off her cocoon to emerge as a bright and brilliant social butterfly. Her colorful personality and welcoming smile draw people to her like the beautiful wings of a monarch butterfly.

If you were to make a highlight reel of your years at Strathmore, what would it look like? 

When I started, I would go to class, and as soon as it was over, I would head home. When my twin was a student here, I’d call her and we’d leave together (sorry if you ever thought you were seeing double).

There were a lot of high school classmates here, so I had friends on campus but it wasn’t until I started to join clubs that I became more active and social.

As a Stratizen, Jemmy has been a member of Kenya Model United Nations(KMUN), Environmental club, Mental Health club and the SDG Hub. She has worked with the Student Council and held leadership roles in KMUN.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, classes moved online and the social aspect of being a university student took on new meaning. In the time when classes were remote, Jemmy took a break from extracurriculars and focused on her family and her studies. It was such an uncertain time for her and her classmates. Work based learning was upon them, but companies weren’t hiring anyone, let alone interns.

By the time physical learning resumed, Jemmy was in her fourth year and on the hunt for  an internship. Her search – and social networks in the university- led her to the University Relations and Communications Office. It was not particularly in line with what she was studying in her degree, but it led her to a new love; content creation.

Do you like your work?

So much! I love what I do. 

In one of the units we took while remote learning, the lecturer had us start a blog and populate it with one article a month. As a BIS student, I found this so taxing and unnecessary. Right now, I’m writing more than 2 articles a week! I really enjoy my work and the people I work with. 

With the overlap between the start of fourth year and work based learning, Jemmy was juggling work, school and writing her dissertation. Oh, and her supervisor was in an entirely different time zone!

I don’t even know how I managed to get everything done! I would sometimes stay in the office till 7 or 8 pm – it would get quiet after everyone went home and I could study or work on my project. The team was also very understanding about my schedule and they made the work flexible.

 She must be a master juggler, because come October, Jemmy will be graduating with honors.

With everything she did while in the university, she says her biggest regret was not making full use of the school’s facilities. She first went to the Sport’s Complex during the Vice Chancellor Run in 2021. If she could go back, she would attend more school events and explore the university’s spaces.

“And definitely start studying right from first year”.  She strongly recommends that students hit the ground running cause things get hectic from 3rd year , leaving no time to try and salvage your aggregate grade.

Jemmy is excited to be graduating in a few weeks, but nowhere near as excited as her grandfather is.

This article was written by Celia Kinuthia.