Guest author Saige Ruback has written a very interesting story for our website, jamskenya.org. Saige, age 16, is working towards playing ice hockey in college while focusing on a degree in an environmental science. She writes about her interview with Phoebean Atieno Odongo who is currently at NIU studying for a master’s degree program in biology. Saige was able to interview Phoebean in the biology lab at NIU.

“I had the great honor of interviewing Phoebean Atieno Odongo earlier this year. We discussed her early education at JAMS (Jane Adeny Memorial School) and what it was like growing up as a girl in Kenya.“

After primary school, education is no longer free for children in Kenya. Families often don’t have enough money to send all, if any, of their kids to high school. Phoebean was in this exact situation after she graduated from primary school. Her mother, who valued education, could not afford to send her to a secondary school. Thankfully, she received a scholarship for JAMS from a Friends of JAMS donor and was able to further her education and learn valuable lessons along the way.

Phoebean stated during our interview that JAMS was one of the best experiences of her life. Her mentality deeply resonated with me, and inspired me. She worked hard in school, confident that it would allow her to follow her dreams (which at the time was to become an aviation pilot). After JAMS, Phoebean got her undergraduate degree in Kenya, and now she is working towards her MS in Biology at Northern Illinois University. Her long-term goal is to take what she has learned back to her home country to become a professor, and join the fight against hunger by researching plant viruses that devastate crop yields.

JAMS is not just a school for these girls, it is a home. At JAMS, girls get to learn and grow in a team environment following their school’s motto, “Together Forward Together.” JAMS teaches girls to be empowered and strive for their goals. I was already aware of some of the struggles that women and girls face in other parts of the world. However, I was unaware of how impactful a school like JAMS is in an impoverished area like rural Kenya. If this opportunity wasn’t available to the girls, they may not have been able to live up to their full potential and contribute their ideas to society. It is important to support women and girls in other countries and fight for equal opportunities, so that they can empower their children and communities.