One reason I keep writing is to keep the reality at check. We live in a social media era where most people only post the good and so, we are creating a society that makes us think or assume that life is all about the ups. Reality is, no man, not even the owner of the top most listed Fortune 500 companies has ups only- just that, that is the story you see from the outside. I recently was listening to a presentation by Dangote and, that man has had his massive downs to get where he is now. I love authentic leaders who help others stay aware that, it is not all glitters to be where they are.
Anyways, back to today’s post. Mastered! Yes, your girl is now qualified to have MSc. in her title and it feels very good. I was just reflecting this journey and all I could think of is, RESILIENCE.
This journey began back in December 2019 when I started my scholarship applications to pursue my Masters, just one year after my Bachelors degree qualification. Well, my dad is a retiree and I had promised him that, having educated me up to Bachelors, it was my responsibility to take it up from there and Masters was my next destination. Not only for my dad but also my technical backgorund qualification places one in a different level with a Masters. For context, I did Environmental Science for my Bachelors which is very broad and so, I mastered in Climate Change and Adaptation.
So, yes, in December 2019 I started writing those essays. I was aiming to either go in the UK (1 year Masters programme) or Germany (because of UN Climate Change location in Bonn). I have to say my village was an intentional one since then- from friends who reviewed my essays, my then supervisor who kept me accountable with applications I would make on a weekly basis and even this one friend who paid for my application fee ($150) to University of Oxford. 150$ was quite a lot of money for a girl who was in unpaid internship then.
At the end of 2020, I started giving up on the dream of pursuing my Masters abroad. I thought maybe my dream was too big and I needed to go lower. That got me opting to check universities in Nairobi that I could consider. By then I had gotten my first job and so I gave myself a year to save and enroll. However, I kept telling everyone I knew how I want to do my Masters and was in the look out for scholarships.
In August 2021, something divine happened. This one lady (Vivian) I had shared with reaches out to tell me about this programme that was new in University of Nairobi but was interesting as it was linked to 2 German universities. She mentions that it seems the deadline had been extended which could indicate that they had not received enough applications. She encouraged me to apply and even helped me review my essays. Let me tell you, when time is right, HE makes everything beautiful and perfect. I applied literally days to the deadline. To cut the story short, I got shortlisted. Vivian was back and helped me prepare for my interview and guess what? After many rejection emails, I finally received an acceptance offer.
So let me expound more on, “When time is right, HE makes everything beautiful.” I was in a full time demanding role at work and Masters coursework was very intense. But, this was made much easier to manage as it was COVID time and so I was working from home and classes were online due to the same reasons. I would basically close my outlook at 4:30pm and switch to Google Meet at 5pm-8pm for 8 months. Secondly, in 2022 I went for my summer school in Germany and got to visit UN Climate Change and that settled my curiosity. All through my programme, I have had very supportive supervisors at work who have made it easier as much as challenging to balance work with school. Kudos to those who have family on top of that. How do you do it? That, I will figure out when I pursue my PhD.
My villagers have gotten me here. Ofcourse, moving countries during my research made it more challenging and it is how my dad stepped in to support me while I did my research. I once mentioned to him, “Dad, we will do this Masters together.” My old man took word by word and he indeed supported me. Love you dad lots! You are my G for life. To my friends, Yvonne, she would drop everything to review my research documents and it was a plus to learn from her as she was finalising her PhD by then. Lewy helped me with the university administrative process which can be quite a stretch. To friends who did even the little things like supporting with formatting/editting my reports – hello Muge! My peer learner, Akpoterai, the mock interviews before defence. And many more that I cannot mention here. To my aunty and grandma, for all the prayers and emotional support- I love you. My heart is just full and I am blessed.
To end it, it took a lot of resilience. From rejections, to balancing work and school, to administrative delays. But, here we are, MASTERED. So, if you are out there trying to chase your dream, keep it there and do not give up. Just remember, He makes everything beautiful at the right time.
Xoxo.
With Love, Mwendwa.
