Melvin Kanaiza: Bridge illuminated my path and today I am a proud student of St. Lawrence University in New York

Growing up without a father and losing a sister to the cruel hands of death, not knowing where your next meal will come from or when the landlord will come knocking at your door asking for his dues can be heart-wrenching.

Even for the ordinary child, this can be an ordeal that can affect the mental health of a child translating to them performing poorly in school. Everybody has a story to tell but the story of Melvin is that of resilience and excellence.

Melvin was born in Vihiga County where she lived with her grandmother before moving to Gachie, Kiambu County where she lived with her mother who worked as a casual laborer. Education, one of the essentials in creating a brighter future for a child is every parent’s dream.

Unfortunately, one of the biggest challenges that most parents face is sending and keeping their children in school due to the high cost of living. Despite earning a low wage as a casual laborer, Melvin’s mother knew the value of quality education and thus enrolled her child at Bridge academy, Gachie in Kiambu County.

Melvin narrates that learning in her former school was not that good because teachers were not committed since there was no one to hold them accountable whenever they missed classes. Later, after joining Bridge she realized how much potential she had.

Contrast to my previous school, Bridge academy’s curriculum was much better and the teachers’ were readily available to help us with the challenging topics. They went the extra mile to offer tuition, especially during exam preparation time. They followed up on every pupil individually to track their progress something I really appreciated. She says.

She later sat for her KCPE exams in the year 2015 and scored 374 marks out of the possible 500. Melvin is convinced that Bridge played a major role in her success.

Melvin’s mother Maureen Mudeva, could not hold her excitement after the results were out and her only child was among the best-performing pupils. She extended her gratitude to Bridge academy for their contribution to her child’s success.

I’m so happy and grateful to Bridge academy for coming to my rescue when I was facing difficulties in paying school fees and buying learning materials thus making it easier for my daughter to study. I watched Melvin’s performance improve with every passing exam and I am excited for her next chapter of life. Says Melvin’s mother.

Melvin had always dreamt of studying abroad and as the Universe would have it she got a scholarship to study at St Anne’s Belfield School, Virginia for her high school education.

Getting a scholarship to study abroad was like a dream come true when I boarded my first ever flight I could not believe it, as a child, I used to tell my mother every time I saw a plane fly by that I would one day fly with it and that day had come. Says Melvin.

Making friends and socializing is an integral part of our lives because we surround ourselves with people who are a representation of who we are. Even though Melvin was on a different continent, she was able to quickly make friends.

I loved my new school so much and the students there, they were really friendly and welcoming. I thought it was going to be difficult by it still felt like home. Their culture there was also really nice because if random strangers would just say hi. Says Melvin.

Melvin performed well in High School and yet again got a scholarship to study at St. Lawrence University, in New York. Learning at St. Lawrence has been interesting for her so far and she is excited to kickstart her journey to achieving her dream career.

Joining College is a great deal for Melvin because it has given her an opportunity to explore the world, learn about different cultures, and understand a world beyond Kenya.

I am yet to fully decide which career path I want to take but I am looking into Economics in the meantime because I love numbers and they help us understand the world, real-life applications of Mathematics are endless. We are surrounded by numbers, equations, and algorithms – especially in this age of data science. Says Melvin.

Her advice to other pupils or students is to always strive to achieve their best, opportunities are all around us and all we need is dedication, hard work, consistency, and commitment because no dream is too big to get hold of.

Melvin’s story depicts how Bridge academy has been a gateway to success for her and the importance of investing in a good school, especially during the early learning stages of a child

She is in the process of achieving her dreams after attending a good primary school that is well-equipped with great instructional design lessons, technology, and well-trained teachers who are committed to building a strong learning foundation for their pupils.