“I went to Alliance!” Is a statement that most Alliance High School Alumnus feel compelled to often start their conversations with. Albeit never having stepped foot in Alliance, I also feel compelled to start this ramble with this conviction: There are two categories of individuals; Those that grow up knowing the kind of careers they would pursue in future and those that stagger from one field to the other, not quite sure where their calling truly is. The former will identify their forte from a really young age and follow that trajectory to become the James Hadley Chase, Ben Carsons and Muthomi Thiankolu’s of this world. The latter, however, are singers in grade 6, then actors in 7, and “perhaps a career in medicine is not that bad” kind of people in high school.
Growing up, my mind could easily grasp and memorize songs. It was no brainer for me to sing along to literally any song that played on radio. I remember wondering about this out loud to my father, who then advised that if I did well in school, I just may become a highly sought-after song writer. From the moment those words left my father’s tongue, I knew I would morph into the Don Williams of this world.
A few years later, my dad brought home a copy of the movie, National Security. I remember tearing up at the end of the movie when Martin Lawrence and his partner shouted “No, you are the man!” to each other. That scene marked the genesis of my hunger to appear on TV, shouting emotional things and taking an imaginary audience through an emotional journey with my character.
Years later, Citizen TV would start airing the “Nairobi Law” show. My father and I would sit glued to the show, religiously following each case. Our jaws would drop every time Nini Wacera stood to cross examine the plaintiffs. By the time Citizen TV stopped airing the show, every fiber in me wanted to go to Law School to build capacity like Nini. Kethi Kilonzo, yet another motivator came to our screens around that time. I was inspired by this young lady, with effortless Savor faire in matters law, sharing the same court room with legal maestros like Githu Muigai. Later in college, I would bump into Olivia Pope from Scandal, a character that had been meticulously created by Shonda Rhimes and that had fortified the hunger. I would close my eyes and see judge’s ruling cases to my favor because of simply how meticulously I presented them before them, me turning to shake my clients’ hand and using the famous Olivia’s line “It is handled” before strutting the streets in a long, white trench coat and knee-length boots. I would have come of age in the profession and Olivia Pope would have nothing on me.
Years later, as fate would have it, I would find myself seated across from board members (as a Certified Secretary) in massive boardrooms of both public and private companies, sounding all deep whilst advising them on governance issues, sustainability, policies and Environment Social and Governance (ESG). It would take an honest, deep introspection months later to realize that it was the S in ESG I had always yearned for. Numerous Governance Audits, Annual General Meetings, and Annual Returns later, I would gravitate towards the S.
Immediately after my graduation, a cousin had asked me what my 5-year career plan looked like. Then, all I had wanted was the means to survive in this “shamba la mawe”– A roof over my head, just enough money to pay for that roof and to put food on the table. However, out of the hard-wired fear of being frowned upon, I had given my cousin a pseudo deep response about how I planned to go on and change the world.
As I implement interventions designed to improve the learning outcomes of learners, (especially those farthest left behind) at Zizi Afrique Foundation, the clarity that comes with years and age is not lost on me. I realize that things, and especially clarity, take a minute too long for some people and that is totally okay. In retrospect, I should have looked my cousin in the eye and gave an honest answer. That I am still figuring out my day to day.
And so today, as I ramble on and just like Martin Luther King would, I have a dream! That when those of us who do not recognize our true north early enough are asked where we want to be in 5 years, we will be courageous enough to say that we are figuring out our today and our now. I pray that the answer will be sufficient, and the recipient will nod with understanding. That we, who are still figuring things out, will extend grace to ourselves and without guilt, take it a day at a time.
