How a Kenyan student left his mother’s care and decided to change the education system in the home country

Mathematics is not the most obvious and applied major. What influenced your choice?

I have always been interested in mathematics. I won maths contests and was one of the best students of my class in exact sciences, so my abilities were shown when I was a child. I thought about engineering after school, but purely maths has always been the field I wanted to pursue.

How did you decide to enter RUDN and move to Russia?

After completing my bachelor’s degree, it was clear to me that I needed to continue my studies. There were questions about whether to stay in Kenya or go to another country. As a result, I did well at the exam and received a scholarship to study at RUDN. That chance had to be used, and the family played a great role in that decision.

So your parents supported you and pushed you to leave?

We have five children in the family, I am the youngest. My mother was always worried that there would be no one to look after me, but I’m an adult now. In fact, my parents always pushed me to continue studying abroad.

How do you see your future: what are the possible areas of activity after RUDN?

Of course, I’m going to complete the postgraduate course and, most likely, in RUDN. It’s familiar atmosphere and friendly environment in here. But after my master’s degree, I want to get practical experience and try teaching in Kenya. I already have some experience, I taught chemistry and mathematics to high school students. And the ultimate goal is to become a math professor. I think this is the best job for me — I see myself as a lecturer. I can say that for me teaching is not pressure, but an exchange of knowledge and energy. The global challenge is to change and improve the education system in Kenya. It’s quite romantic: try to come up with a different style of teaching.