Sitting in class in Nairobi during my senior year of high school, I feared that there would be too many obstacles in attaining my greatest hope: a college education. There are so few universities in Nairobi, and so little resources to study abroad that only a small percentage of the population have college degrees. I couldn’t imagine myself affording college, living so far away from my parents, or adjusting to life without the good fruit, great people, and the greenery that I was used to. Thankfully, my family encouraged me every step of the way.

My sisters had come to the U.S. ahead of me, and my mother, who now lives in Kenya advised me to connect with my grandparents and other relatives who live in Georgia. My dad, who graduated from Temple University in Pennsylvania, constantly pushed me to apply. Everything at this point in time seemed to guide me toward education at a public university, so that’s where I applied. Nonetheless, I visited some friends at Seattle Pacific University and somehow ended up in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. After connecting with my admissions counselor, I knew that this was where I wanted to attain my education. I realized that a Christian university would be the ideal place for my holistic growth. I felt like gaining high quality college education along with character development was now at my fingertips. Besides that, Seattle is a beautiful place full of lush plants, green trees, and flowers that reminded me of Nairobi. Here I am today, a political science college graduate, an active member of my community, and a staff member at Seattle Pacific University. And as such, there’s one piece of advice I’d like to leave as some of you go to write your own story in your college essays. Don’t write a generic essay that any other student could “copy-and-paste.” Express yourself in a clear light with unique stories.

After telling you a bit about my story, I look forward to reading yours. Happy college hunting!

Faithfully,
Robert C. Mbugua