The Proudest Moment of My Life

by: Dr. Esther Ngumbi

When you educate a girl you educate an entire community! Education empowers, Education liberates, Education opens doors, Education is a powerful tool to overcome poverty thus my proudest moment of my life is when I got my Doctorate degree, and became the first girl in my community to have a PhD degree.
Never ever, in my life, had I imagined that I would one day get a Doctorate degree. As a child growing up in the impoverished Kenyan village of Mabafweni, I never could conceptualize a future as a scientist with a Doctorate degree!
I started school when I was 4 years, very young indeed and I am told that everybody worried of my age including my parents and class teachers. Despite the age barrier, I was intelligent and so they let me move on. I made my way through Primary school education and joined Matuga Girls High school, where I finished strong and was the best girl student of Kwale district. From there I joined Kenyatta University and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Zoology. Before my graduation day, I already had started my Masters degree! I was simply on the go! After graduating with a Master of Science degree, I received a two-year scholarship in the State of Israel, Agricultural Research Organization. My parents had always encouraged us to take our education to the highest levels possible, so I knew, I had to keep going. I wanted to get my PhD. Initially, I wanted to go to Germany, but friends told me that the very best of the PhD was in the U.S. so I kept searching for any open assistantships and managed to get an opening at the University of Idaho. I later transferred to Auburn University in 2008 and finally defended and graduated in August, 6, 2011! Yay!
I look back and reflect much upon my journey in quest for a PhD degree. It was not easy! From being born in a poor family, having no role models to look up to and be challenged to work hard, yet still holding and following my dreams until I achieved them. I simply cry tears of joy. It is emotional yet so sweet! Sometimes, this dream seemed elusive; sometimes it looked like I had lost it. However, persistence, determination, extraordinarily high levels of commitment, and energy helped me get there.
Education empowers, and I feel much empowered. More so, being an African woman I believe my education has prepared and equipped me with a knowledge base and a voice that I shall use to speak on behalf of the voiceless and to carry out noble work in Kenya, Africa and our World. I want to use my education to encourage, mentor and inspire many girls and youth from all over the world to pursue their education because education is the most powerful tool one can have in life.
Lesson learned: Know your dreams, your passion, and your goals. Follow them. The road may be long and curvy; times may come when you lose it, but hold your head high, and keep going. Determination, persistence, and self drive will get you there. If you ever feel you are alone, reach out to me and to us the ReEnvision team! We are here to walk the journey with you!
Memorable moments: When I started high school, I was not performing well. I used to be position 77/136. Since my parents would discipline me for not doing well, I decided to cheat on my report card. I erased position 77 and turned it into position 37. My father doubted my report card and came along with me to school to inquire. Hmmm, I had been caught. I was of course punished, but something changed from that day. I remember turning around things and in the next semester, I moved from position 77 to position 3! Wow! What a jump! From that moment on, things had turned around for the better and yes, I ended up being the top girl in my school!