“I AM DRIVEN BY IMPROVING THE LIVES OF THE PEOPLE AROUND ME” – Jackie.
There’s scarcely any happiness, passion or success without struggle. Life is a constant struggle, but the journey is rewarding and the view is great. It’s just a matter of pushing forward when the going gets tough, and I strongly believe that success isn’t truly success without a struggle.
My name is Jackline Atieno Odegi. I was born on the 4th of March, 1996 to Vivian Achieng and Odegi Collins, the first born to three sisters. I spent most of childhood with my grandparents at the coast, as my mum and dad lived in the village. My mum would occasionally come to visit me. I often felt left out, seeing all of my friends living with their parents. I once cried in school when a certain boy in class joked about me being born to a crow, because by then I had no idea who my dad was and how he really looked. Not being with my parents most of my childhood made me question myself a lot – did they care for me or even love me?
Growing up wasn’t easy, being bullied in school and all that, but i got through my early stages in primary school before I went to live in the village with my parents when I was in class five. Life in the village was the worst but there was nothing I could do about it. I was torn apart by the fact that I could not help my parents. In 2004, my dad went back to school in Nairobi to do his Bachelor of Science and Information Certificate. I would burn charcoal at times and sell it so I could help my mum with the expenses. During this time, seeing my mum struggle, noticing how the situation at home put an incredible strain on my parents, I vowed to myself that I would work hard in school so that one day I could help out my family and put a smile on my mum’s face. I realized at a young age that education was the only way out, the only way to build a better life for my family.
In 2008, my dad graduated and got a job in Migori, a small town far from home. We moved to Migori in 2009. I will always remember this as our worst year ever. I was in my final year in Primary school, mum was pregnant with our last born, and dad’s salary wasn’t enough to cater for all of our needs. He soon applied for a job in the government and was posted in Turkana. His assignment was far from Migori, but with the help of friends he was able to leave us some cash to get by (he would not get his first paycheck for several months), and in August he travelled to Turkana.
Then even more problems began. Mum wasn’t working because she had just given birth, we couldn’t afford our rent and had to move to a cheaper house, and I was being sent home for not paying school fees. I would find a way to sneak into school because I knew I had to study for my final exams. I was not willing to let my education suffer because of the hard times my family was facing. Dad came back home in December and on the first of January 2010, things began to improve. Dad finally got his first paycheck, and my exam results came out -- I passed! That was my worst year not because of what I had gone through, but what my entire family had gone through, and the constant emotional pain that my mum had suffered.
We soon moved to Kisumu and I joined a high school there. I promised my parents that I would get an A, and my dad promised to send me to a school in the U.S. if I did. High school was both fun and rough; the bullying became intense, the corporal punishment was heartbreaking and tormenting, but I knew my mission and my goal: to study hard and get that A that would take me across the world for my education. Even though the high school’s record didn’t show impressive achievement over the previous years, my classmates and I would always tell ourselves that this is our Alliance high, and we knew we could make a name for ourselves by working hard. I loved playing basketball in high school, I also played drums and was the human resource manager for the junior achievers club. I loved playing drums the most because it took me places and gave me the chance to meet famous people, like the president of Uganda, the former president of Kenya and the Prime minister. Playing the drums was my escape from everything.
Although engaging in these activities made me enjoy most of my high school days, there were also extremely challenging experiences to overcome. When I was in my final year in high school, my class teacher called several students into the staffroom for academic caning. The whole class was not happy and opposed this caning, but no one could step up and confront him so I offered to sacrifice myself for the class. The next day when he came to class, everyone was silent; I stood up and confronted him. I started to cry and he got angry because no one has ever confronted a teacher before; I feared I was in for it. He called me forward, but I stayed glued to my spot because I knew what awaited me. He finally cooled down and called me later that evening. We had a meaningful conversation and all went well. I was relieved that I gave my teacher a different perspective on corporal punishment; he admitted to me that he didn't like doing it and said he would try some other forms of punishment. It felt good to make a difference for my class, and for future classes.
I did my Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education and wanted to do hotel and tourism management, but the teacher convinced me to select another course. The tourism sector was not doing great due to terror threats from the Al Shaabab, so I decided that I would do Marketing. I passed with an A-. I was so happy and grateful to God; I had promised myself and my family that I would get an A and in the end I got it. It felt great that my dream of studying in the U.S. was now a goal within reach.
I wanted to apply to schools in the US but I had no idea where to start. In December, 2013 I got lucky and met a power couple: Rachel and Franco, my cousin, who changed my life. They introduced me to the SAT, which I previously was not aware of, and I took the test in July 2013. I didn’t do extremely well, there aren’t many study guides or courses available in Kenya, but i applied to some Universities in the U.S. I was accepted to Hawaii Pacific University, and was offered a scholarship of $10,000 for the four years, but I could not raise the remaining fee. I was disappointed and heart-broken. I joined the University of Nairobi in January 2015, but I have never felt like I belong because my heart is somewhere else. Franco and Rachel have been by my side ever since trying to help me so I can better my future and that of my family. I want to help my sister's experience a better childhood than I did, and give them more opportunities for success in their future; they mean the world to me.
