Why I chose to intern at Daraja Academy

By Chelsea Kincheloe

Hello everybody! Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read our blog. For those of you new to Daraja Academy, Karibu! (welcome in Swahili). I encourage all newcomers to explore our beautiful new website to learn more about who we are, and how we differ from other schools here in Kenya.

As the new Communications Intern, I am incredibly honored to be living and working on the Daraja campus in Nanyuki, Kenya. I look forward to the deluge of experiences available here and, most importantly, to getting to know the girls. Today, I thought I would share with you why I chose to pursue an internship with Daraja Academy.

But first, a story about Fort Collins, CO. (It all ties together – I promise!)

My passion for travel and adventure has led me to seek out different places to live and work over the past decade, but with only two of these places did I fall head over heels in love in a matter of hours. The first place I became completely enamored with was Fort Collins, CO. I visited Fort Collins, Colorado seven years ago (2010) for a seasonal job, and after my first 15 hours, I knew it was a community I wanted to belong to. So, in 2013, I spontaneously moved to Fort Collins and ended up staying for 3 years. My reasoning at the time: I was lost in life and unsure of my next steps. (We’ve all been there!)

During these three years, I became heavily involved in the Fort Collins community through volunteering and internships at local non-profits. I loved being part of a community where I could thrive and contribute to a good cause. During that time, I applied to graduate school and completed my M.S. in Conservation Leadership at Colorado State University, before signing up to go to Kenya. While I loved my life in Fort Collins, I knew that I wanted to continue working in international development (I’m a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer), and work at nonprofits that have a direct impact on people’s lives.

My graduate studies led me to Kenya and eventually, Daraja, the second place I fell in love with.

In June of 2016, only a few days after my arrival in Nanyuki, I had the opportunity to attend a fundraiser at Daraja. That evening, I joined in a dance competition with the girls, and watched in awe as they read poetry and performed skits. I left that night feeling inspired and exhilarated. The second time I visited Daraja, I ate dinner with the girls, and discovered the respect and kinship they had for one another and the staff. The students hugged and complimented each other, their affection for their classmates and school obvious.

Like Fort Collins, I had only spent a short amount of time at Daraja, but I knew I wanted to be a part of this community.

Daraja’s model is exactly what I was looking for. It directly impacts individual lives by not only providing girls with an education, but the life skills necessary to succeed. Another aspect of Daraja’s model that I admire is the focus on community service. Here at Daraja, each girl’s school fees are 100% covered in exchange for volunteering 30 hours in her community. I believe that if you want to make your community better, you have to invest your time and skills back into it. The Daraja girls are doing exactly that.

I am honored to be here, and love all the Daraja staff and students. Daraja Academy is doing such amazing work, and I am so excited to be a part of it!  

Thanks for reading!

– Chelsea