09 Nov College Spotlight: The Start of a New Chapter
“The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” –
Proverbs 18:15
Here at Children of Hope, we aim to provide our children with a loving home and nurturing family to help them accomplish their dreams and have the opportunity to reach their full potential. Throughout their time with us at the homes, we have been purposeful and diligent about helping each child develop personal interests and pursue their passions. This month, we have the opportunity to celebrate three of our young adults, Margaret Wangare, Dennis Maina, and Dennis Mwangi, on their acceptance and entrance into college. These three are just a few weeks into this new chapter of their lives and here’s what they have to say about it.
Margaret Wangare
Margaret, from our Kikuyu home, is now studying Medical Records Technology, a two-year course at the Medical Training College in the Machakos Campus. Machakos is a town located about an hour’s drive from Nairobi. Margaret is thrilled to be pursuing her passion and feels as if her dream of working in the medical field is finally coming true. She could not be more excited about her opportunity to study at this esteemed and prestigious institution.
She’s so delighted that she made it a point to grow out her hair. Margaret has never been one to have long hair, she always liked it short and tucked behind her ears. But prior to joining college, Margaret surprised us all. She started maintaining her beautiful long hair. Days before her departure to campus, she asked us if she could go to the local salon in our Kikuyu town. She got her long hair trimmed and styled, ready to step into her college life. For Margaret, the transition of her hair was a sort of transition of her school life to a more mature college atmosphere. She is ready to take on this new role with all of its additional responsibilities.
Margaret has always been a level-headed young woman, full of dreams and aspirations. She’s followed her own path and has never been distracted from her goals. As someone with a strong personality, Margaret makes it a point to go after what she wants. When she’s not focused on schoolwork, Margaret loves to cook. We have no doubt that her time at the Kikuyu home has produced a loving, responsible, and determined young lady who has a great future ahead of her.
Dennis Mwangi
Dennis, a young man from the Kikuyu home, has always been very creative. Highly energetic and exceptionally talented, Dennis is a force to be reckoned with. He has always felt comfortable in his own skin and has had a strong personal identity. In our Kikyuyu home, Dennis is considered a likable personality, easily connecting with everyone around him. It is this personality, character, and creative passion that drove Dennis to choose Beauty Therapy and Hairdressing, along with Fashion and Design in college. Broken into two parts, Dennis will focus on learning about Beauty Therapy and Hairdressing in his first year, and Fashion and Design in his second year at Thika Institute of Business Studies. Located in the town of Thika, this college is one of the best business schools within Nairobi.
During his free time at our Kikuyu home, Dennis loved to paint and dance. He also enjoyed basketball and made it a point to practice daily. He’s looking forward to continuing to play the game with his new college friends.
Dennis is extremely excited to be living independently at college. When asked what he likes at his new college, he says his relationship with his friendly classmates is the best part so far. He was all smiles when uncles Samson, Wilson, and Sam from our Kikuyu home said goodbye after settling him in at his new room near the college. Our Kikuyu home will definitely miss Dennis’ fun presence, but we are so proud of everything he has accomplished, and we can’t wait to see what else God has in store for him.
Dennis Maina
Dennis is a fine young man with a big heart and a tremendous amount of energy. He has always been drawn to mechanical things from a young age. Uncle Wilson gave him very basic driving lessons as a teenager and Dennis picked them up immediately. With his new found love and confidence for driving, Dennis then started to help around the home by driving the farm truck and fixing odd things here and there. It was from these experiences that his interest in Automotive engineering was born. His dream is now to eventually drive earthmovers.
Dennis is studying at the Kiambu Institute of Science and Technology. The college is among the best to offer technical skills training, and Dennis feels privileged to be there. The night before classes started for Dennis, he was so excited that he could barely sleep. Once he settled into his new room, the first thing he did was make Uncle Sam, Wilson, and Samsom a cup of tea. This was his way of showing gratitude for their efforts and marked Dennis’s transition from school life to more of an adult role. He is ready to start his new life journey.
Dennis has matured a lot over the last year. Uncle Sam is very proud of the young man Dennis is becoming and says he follows instructions and is very responsible. So much so that Uncle Sam has entrusted Dennis with leading the other boys in their cottage. When Dennis gets some time to himself, he likes unwinding by playing basketball and dancing. Dennis has a very bright future ahead of him.