Marylene Wangari

She dreamt of being in school. Now she will be there for a long, long time.

Marylene was always passionate about her education, so it was no surprise that in 2006 she finished Class 8 as her school’s top girl. Her struggling family’s prayers seemed answered when the local Member of Parliament promised to send her to a prestigious Nanyuki high school. After losing reelection he reneged on that promise, having paid for only one term, and Marylene was asked to leave midway through 2007.

Marylene refused to give up hope. Three years after finishing primary school she learned that a school called Daraja, created for girls exactly like her, was opening. She was Daraja’s first applicant. She joined the young school’s pioneer class and took full advantage of it, diving into her studies and, four years later, earning a place at Rongo University, where she took a diploma in education and was certified to teach History and KiSwahili.

In 2017, Daraja’s first scholarship applicant became the first alumna to apply and be hired as a full-time teacher. That decision has paid off: Marylene’s students are routinely ranked among the top in the county. She is also the school’s Head of Culture, celebrating Daraja’s diversity while weaving the school’s Pillars and W.I.S.H. values through the lives of staff and students every day.