No matter how far they detour, human beings always end up on the path they are destined for. Alex, the founder, and director of STEM Impact Centre, nearly missed his.
Alex studied political science at the University of Nairobi and postgraduate diploma in educational leadership and administration.
“I wanted to study computer science. Technology was my primary interest. But I did not have the right mentorship as a young student. I ended up dropping physics in high school, which locked me out of a course in computer science,” he says.
"I wanted to study computer science. Technology was my primary interest. But I did not have the right mentorship as a young student."
After working at Unesco SDG4 Youth Network and Doctors Without Borders as a researcher, he founded the Stem Impact Centre to advance science and tech education in Kenya and beyond, with thousands of beneficiaries so far.
On any given day, the facility in Nairobi is a hive of activity with schoolchildren working with computers and assembling different devices.
The company has partnered with several schools for STEM education.
“Working with children is exciting. You learn humility from them. It is simple projects created by young minds that develop into global sensations. Their curiosity and innovativeness challenge you. We want to drive this curiosity to make them problem-solvers and innovators. STEM is the future.’’
So, what does success mean to him? ‘‘Democratisation of STEM education. The moment we create equal opportunities in education for every learner, we will have succeeded as a country.”
James Kahongeh