A Kenyan on the right track

Wilhemina enjoying the FJP Spring School

Pic by Junior Bester

Junior Bester

The journey from a small neighbourhood in Kenya to the busy suburb of Sandton in Johannesburg and then to Rhodes University in Grahamstown has certainly helped shape the life of Wilhemina Maboja. This sounds like an opening to a movie about a “rags to riches” story. However to describe Wilhemina’s background as rags would be an insult and incorrect, instead it is the story of somebody who has come from humble beginnings and now on the way to achieving her goals. Amazingly enough she is only 20 years old.

Wilhemina grew up in Kenya where she learnt the value of simply being a child and having the privilege of growing up in a close-knit community. As the years flew by she also understood the value of family, from whom she gained knowledge and strength. So when she moved to South Africa she was able to grab the opportunities granted to her. Now as a young woman with braided hair and newly acquired spectacles she is at Rhodes University riding on the fast track to becoming a professional journalist. Her dream is to write for Bloomsbury Publishers

Wilhemina’s drive for learning and her people orientated mindset makes her not only an excellent journalism student but also makes her an exceptional student of life. Yet what makes her more special is the fact that she never forgets where she came from and she always remembers the days where she rode her bicycle with her friends from sunrise till sunset. This is shown by the huge smile she has when she reminisces and the pride in her voice when she speaks about Kenya. Make no mistake about it Wilhemina is certainly somebody Rhodes and even her home country of Kenya can be proud of. I am certainly proud to call her a friend.