I grew up in a small village in the Kajiado District of Kenya. I am the last daughter of the second wife of my father, Solonka ole Langa. My mother passed away when I was only seven years old, so I had to move in with with my stepmother who at that time was my father’s third wife. Life was never the same again; I became the subject of arguments between my father and my stepmother in his efforts to protect me. Struggling in that environment was very difficult in itself; it was even harder to get through primary school, but I did.
When I was in Grade 8 my dad thought he had gone through enough battles with my stepmother in trying to protect me. He thought that marrying me off could relieve him of the burden. I was to get married, at the age of 13, to a man I had never seen and who was over two and a half times my age. Accompanying this proposed union was the requirement of female circumcision, a practice that later motivated me to pursue higher education so that I could help to change this part of my culture. I was saved from the marriage -- but not from the circumcision -- by Celina Wambui Muturi, the then principal of the Siakago School for girls, who came to my rescue.
Mrs. Muturi stated that she was influenced by a trip she had taken to the Magadi Soda Company in Kajiado. She saw a group of young Maasai girls who she thought should be going to school, but who instead were looking after animals in a field. She thought, ”If I can educate one of them, maybe she'll be a role model to the others”. It was very difficult for her to identify the girl of her vision. But she was a determined person and so, after much investigation and communication with a female friend in a nearby town, I was her fortunate choice.
I had just completed the eighth grade and the marriage arrangements for me were in full gear; dowry was already paid, and only the official marriage ceremony remained. Miraculously, out of nowhere, came Mrs. Wambui to the rescue. She shared her vision with my dad and informed him that she was ready to pay my school fees and provide me with a home stay if he agreed to stop the marriage. Without hesitating, my dad agreed. Mrs. Muturi took me to her home and enrolled me in the school where she was the principal. That was the turning point of my life; I could enjoy good food, a good place to sleep, and clothing. I saw tap water and electricity for the first time. To me, it was a completely different world.
Celina Wambui oversaw my high school education. Afterwards, I attended Eregi Teacher’s Normal School for a teaching certificate and then taught for four years in primary school. Later, I attended The Catholic University of Eastern Africa and received my bachelor’s degree; thereafter, I was posted to teach at Ilbissil Girls’ High School in my district. Being the only Maasai teacher in the school, I was a role model to many girls who identified with me because of what we shared communally and culturally. It was while teaching at Ilbissil that I learned about the Ford Foundation International scholarship competition. In 2007 there were 8,000 applicants; I was one of the 16 awardees for that year.
Armed with a scholarship to study anywhere in the world in 2008 was the opportunity of a lifetime. However, being married and a mother of three girl children, one of whom was only a year old at that time, I had a dilemma. After talking with family and engaging in a good deal of consultation with international actors in the Ford Foundation, I mustered the courage to journey alone to the United States to pursue my Master's degree.
It was a memorable moment for me, and one that I approached with mixed feelings. I was flying for the first time; I had no relatives and no friends in the U.S.; I was leaving my husband, my extended family, and my children behind. It was the hardest decision I have ever made. Yet, I believed that the decision would be beneficial to my family and to my community as a whole.
Being a proud Maasai woman, I arrived in the United States on the 20th of September, 2008 fully dressed in Maasai attire, which attracted the attention of the security personnel at the Detroit and Columbus airports. I underwent extra screenings at each of these airports. I had to go through numerous exams to help determine that I could, indeed, speak English and that I was qualified to attend a graduate program at Ohio State University. I was made quite aware of the sacrifice I would endure as the first Kaputiei, Maasai women to pursue a master’s degree at an American institution of higher learning.
Through all of this, my biggest concern was the thought of my children back home. I felt guilty every day imagining their lives without me. I could not eat or sleep for some time. I felt as if I was carrying the whole world on my shoulders. Thank goodness for Dr. TK Daniel, my advisor, who was there from the beginning, and who never tired of listening to my daily woes, and of how I felt lost and out of place, and of how I did not know if I could make it. He told me that we would not begin with what we cannot do; instead, we would establish our foundation on what we can do. He welcomed me into his home and invited me to all of his family holiday and religious gatherings. Thanks to his guidance and his resolve, I will graduate with a master’s degree in the field of Educational Administration in the spring of 2010.
As I go forward, I reflect on my journey, the pathways I have traveled, and the challenges I have overcome. I will return to Kenya as the first woman and only the second person in my group to earn a master's degree. I think about the women and the girls in my village who will be looking up to me as a role model, and an ambassador who will champion their rights at the community, regional and national levels.
I am grateful to my family -- especially my children -- and also to Mrs. Wambui, Dr. Daniel, and my friends both in the U.S. and Kenya who have been patient and supportive. Most of all, I am grateful to God, my creator, who has provided me the health, strength, and safety necessary to go through this journey. Last but not least, I thank the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program for the opportunity to achieve this milestone in my academic career.