AFEX LEARNING HUB

    Can you share with us your earliest memories of being fascinated by electronics and how your grandfather's radio sparked your interest in the field?  I was in primary school when I first became fascinated by electronics. At the time I was living with my grandparents in the village and my grandfather was the only one who owned a radio among his neighbors.As it is with devices, it got spoiled and I volunteered to accompany my grandfather to the repair shop. At this repair shop is where I first interacted with a motherboard and I was determined to know more about this device. How did your move to Nairobi and the opportunity to learn English shape your journey towards pursuing computer science? I have always been confident hence learning English was not so hard. The determination I had to learn this new language to communicate with my peers was so great that I exerted it in other subjects. Fast forward to high school I chose computer science as an elective because it pose...

  Can you share a little bit about your background and the challenges you faced during your three-year gap year after high school? My name is Purity Wanjiku, and I took three gap years due to financial difficulties and COVID-19. I come from a humble background, and being a part of AFEX was a huge privilege for me. What motivated you to pursue your dreams of attending a renowned liberal arts college despite the obstacles you encountered during your gap years? I wanted to study in an environment where I could have one-on-one interaction with lecturers who knew me and could push me to be the best version of myself. I could also take classes that interested me, even if they were unrelated to my major. How did you come across the AFEX College Application Program, and what made you decide to join? I was introduced to AFEX by a family friend whose son had gone through the US college applications with AFEX and successfully gained admission to schools with good financial aid. Can you descri...

Can you tell us about your academic journey and how you developed a passion for computer science? Whitney: My academic journey had been far from linear. I was a student who had to constantly read to achieve good grades. It is a trait that inclined me more into the sciences and the tech world and my coding exploits helped me to become more knowledgeable about the computer science field. A subject like mathematics came easily to me and I loved the computations and calculations. Even in high school, I knew my career would involve some aspects of mathematics. I attended a few coding boot-camps and the more I learnt the deeper my newfound love for Computer Science grew. How did you feel when you received admissions offers from prestigious universities like Princeton, Duke, Williams, and Columbia? Whitney: I had received likely letters from both Duke and Columbia and even to date I cannot believe it. I was extremely excited and never expected such outcomes. It still feels so surreal to...