• I vividly remember talking about going abroad to our local day school with my high school principal. I am from a humble background in a small village in Molo, Kenya. Despite having good grades, my parents couldn't afford to send me to a national school. As an athlete, I decided that my running career would be a bridge to the next level. It is worth. All the long nights, cries, running injuries, and spending over two years away from my family to get my degree.

• Having a low income is not something I ever mention because people think you're seeking sympathy. After all, As it has always been and will always be, life is what we make it. The MPH program was challenging and rewarding, even though I transitioned from an undergraduate to a graduate-level program.

• It was public health that found me. In Kenyan slums, I have seen how our health system needs improvement. My family looks up to me for the change, my community does as well, and I should not forget my country. How could I have failed them?

• As public health professionals, we face uncertainty, but I've learned to embrace that there are still questions to ask and answers to find, since life is filled with suspense.

• Public health is equity over equality, and it may be community-led or community-driven, or a combination of the two. In my eyes, public health is about collaborating with people from various cultures, countries, and views to benefit our people.

• In a community-driven field of public health, perhaps the best answers are not found in researchers but ‌communities. I believe we are all in public health to serve people with a sense of equity, justice, inclusion, and evidence-based empathy and action.

• Overall, the program met my original expectations. In addition, it reminded me why I became interested in Public Health Promotion and Education and what is exciting about public health.

 

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