Tracing top KCSE students: Where are these brain boxes?

 They topped during their year: Prof Zawadi(left) Dr Nkirite with family and Hussein (top)

In a country where good school grades determine the difference between slaving on the factory floor and having a coffee dispenser at the corner office, there is just no room for failure. So, where are some of the students who topped in KSCE in the past?  The Nairobian went searching for these brainy students of the past. Below are some of the students who made it to the hall of fame of top KCSE performance.

Njeri Mburu

Year: Among the best in 2002

School: Alliance Girls

Career: Doctor

She was the top KCPE student in her district. She also emerged among the top 100 students in the country in her KCSE examinations.

Did you follow your dream?

Yes, I followed my dream. Currently I‘m pursuing my MMed (Master of Medicine) Residency Programme at The Aga Khan University Hospital.

Any regrets

None. If I have to go back in time, I will do medicine but with something else on the side.

Does being among the top get to your head?

It should not as being among the top humbles you. It helps you realise there is more to life than just passing examinations and being on top.

Street smart or book smart?

In primary and secondary school, it helps being book smart. At university, you should learn more about life and balance out.

What can you tell the top performers this year?

You can be anything you want to be, but be careful not to live other people‘s unrealistic expectations and dreams.

James Otwori*

Year: Best student, early 2000s

Career: Investment banking

Did you follow your dream in actuary?

Yes and no. I graduated with honours with a BSc in actuarial science and a minor in mathematics. But I chose to pursue a career on Wall Street.

So you were in the US?

I matriculated briefly into the University of Nairobi Actuarial Science Programme before transferring to St John’s University in Queens, New York.

How has the journey been?

Out of a graduating class of approximately 30 students, I was one of the five lucky ones to land a full-time employment offer before graduation. I worked for Morgan Stanley, a global investment bank as a risk analyst. I then came back to Kenya. I also worked for six years in an IT environment abroad and I‘m switching gears and starting a technology company.

Does being number one put undue pressure on an individual?

I always joke that I wanted to perform well, but not necessarily that well. It’s like nobody wanted the number one position, so I helped myself to it! Yes, it does put undue pressure on one to succeed.

Any regrets so far?

There are always regrets. In academics, I must confess, I was advised to be an actuary because of my intellect and not because it appealed to me. I should probably studied engineering since I am fascinated with mechanics.

What’s your advice to this year‘s best performers?

For those who perform well, there will be opportunities, but you have to seek them out. For those who don‘t perform to their expectations, your performance in KSCE is not a determinant of where you will end up in life.

Salome Nkirote Kivanguli Muravvej

Year: Best female student 2003

School: Precious Blood, Riruta

Career: Cosmetic dermatologist

Did you follow your dream?

Yes I did. I was split between actuarial science and medicine, but I settled for medicine. I have enjoyed the practice.

Does being bright translate into being street smart?

Sometimes it can be limiting. You see a lot of that in medical school, where individuals are only book smart. But you cannot be a good doctor by being book smart only.

What did you specialise in?

I am an aesthetic medicine practitioner or what we call a cosmetic dermatologist. Together with my husband who is also a doctor, we now run our clinic (Allure Laser Skin Centre) in Mombasa.

Can being number one get to your head?

Yes it can, but it should not. In life, you keep on learning. In medicine, you are actually never done with school. Being bright never stops me from working hard or being a good mother.

What you can tell top performers this year?

Don‘t let it get to your head. Work hard and follow your dreams.

Hussein Janoowallah

Year: Number two nationally in 2002

School: Alidina Visram, Mombasa

Career: Senior House Officer, The Aga Khan Hospital, Mombasa

Did you follow your dream?

Yes. I studied medicine at the University of Nairobi.

Any regrets?

None. I made the right decision.

What can you tell students who will emerge tops this year?

Pursue your dreams. It is never smooth sailing, but keep going.

Zawadi Lemayian

Year: One of the top 20 students of 2004

School: Alliance Girls

Career: University lecturer (accounting)

She joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2005 for a dual undergraduate programme in Civil Engineering and Management Science (Finance). Zawadi Lemayian graduated in 2009, and enrolled at the MIT Sloan School of Management and graduated with a PhD in Management Science in 2013. She then joined Washington University‘s Olin School of Business as a professor, where she works to date.

“There are different paths for different people and the world we live in allows for a mix of both street smart and book smart individuals,“ she told The Nairobian.