Mary K
Mary’s Story
Mary is studying Geospatial Engineering, a strongly male-dominated field, at the University of Nairobi and is on a path to graduate the top student in her engineering class. This feat would qualify this remarkable young woman for the university-sponsored master’s program. Mary comes from a maize farming community that strongly encourages child marriages. Most in the community are pressured to drop out of school to maintain the cultural tradition of maize farming and be married, but Mary fought her way through school with a college education as her drive.
Mary engaging at a GLOW Workshop
“I want to change how people think about women in society. Women also have a role to play in the community. If you deny them a chance to get an education, the future will suffer and women will end up thinking that they are lesser beings than men, and that is not true. They can study courses that men study, they can do work that men do, and so women are also great and can have a great impact on society.”
Without GLOW, Mary struggled to pay for food and classes and would sometimes go days without eating. She tried to fundraise within her community but always struggled to gain enough funding since the community favors boys’ education and suffers poverty. Now, because of her GLOW scholarship, Mary attends college with full funding. She no longer has to worry about her next meal and can now devote her full focus to her studies, allowing her to excel.
Mary is not only a talented engineer, but she enjoys drawing and uses her creations to help support her as a side hustle