By Zack Fowler | Development Director
“During graduation, I was unbelievably happy. When my name was called, I felt so proud of myself. My family knew that moment was the end of a lifelong goal, and they were proud of me too. My sister immediately told me that she wanted to study, to learn, to be like me – to be a WISER Girl.”
When Lucy first came to WISER, she had ambitious goals. She wanted to be the first in her family to finish high school. She wanted to be the first in her family to pass the Kenyan national exam. She wanted to be the first person in her entire village to join a university.
Four years later, she’s done all of those things.
After graduating #2 in the WISER class of 2015, Lucy is getting ready to begin her studies at Kenyatta University, where she will pursue a Bachelor of Commerce degree. Yet even before beginning college, Lucy is finding ways to give back to WISER. She is currently an Intern at the WISER school, and while she enjoys her job responsibilities, she enjoys the chance to be a role model to other girls even more.
Recently, I asked Lucy: “Do you think you can be a role model to other girls?”
Her answer made it clear:
“Not can be. I am. The comments I get in my village are wonderful. Some girls are asking me, how did you make it? They want to go to school, my sisters want to be like me. I’m an example to my community. I’m the first in my village to get a degree! I’m the first to go to university. So everyone looks to me and I’ve become the role model I wanted to be. Now, I can encourage girls everywhere.”
Lucy is only one of the incredible success stories to come out of the WISER class of 2015 that graduated this June. All 27 graduates qualified for university admission and 16 WISER Girls have received full government scholarships. WISER Girls have been accepted to programs in everything from Agricultural Economics to Electrical Engineering and many of them will be the “first in their family” – just like Lucy.
Stories like Lucy’s are dreams coming true, and none of these dreams would be possible without you. When you provide support, you make dreams a reality, and you help build a network of driven, successful, brilliant young women.
So while we at WISER are certainly thankful for your support and dedication, we’ll let you hear it from Lucy in her own words:
“WISER gave me more than I can say. Finding an opportunity like this is hard, but to actually be given it is a blessing. My siblings didn’t go to high school because of poverty. WISER and the people that support WISER opened the door for me… I’m so thankful to WISER supporters. I hope they find the kind heart to help other girls in the same way that they helped me.”
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