Life Beyond ALU; a conversation with Catherine Njeri.
We caught up with our ALUmni earlier this week, asking them what they’ve been up to, their experiences this past year, and just some tips and advice to the graduating class. This is what Njeri had to say:
What have you been up to? Any great news you’d like to share with the ALU community?
Oh, man! So much! Beyond my full-time job, I saved up money to start a business called mezigo.co.ke about 7 months ago. We are now fully operational and are always looking for brighter minds to help solve some of the new challenges that come up. If you’re not afraid to balance school with a side income feel free to reach out to MeZIGO.
DM: Instagram — @mezigo.co.ke
Email: mezigodeliveries@gmail.com
What are some things you wish you knew before leaving ALU that you know now?
Getting a job + getting opportunities is really about WHO you know BEFORE WHAT you know. So cherish the networks you make at ALU through friends, faculty, and employer partnerships. Chances are it’s that network that will fund you after graduation 😂
When you were graduating, how were you feeling? Any fears or concerns you had and what did you do about them?
Hahahaha I love this question because somehow I get the sense that the current graduating class is going through the same thing. There’s this overarching anxiety around losing something you’ve grown accustomed to. For the months leading up to graduation, you’d hear a lot of:
“I’m enjoying the beach before I go back to my landlocked country” or “So you’re telling me after next month I’ll have to start physically paying for hot water? And rent!!!” … it’s hilarious thinking back to it. We knew we were stepping into a world where mom and dad/guardian won’t always be there to give an allowance and pay fees for us. It was a bit nerve-wracking because we had no idea what the future will look like.
Looking back at the mission you had by the time you were graduating, has that changed for you? If yes, how and why? If not, how have you grown in it and stayed on your path?
I graduated in February 2020 when Covid hit. So basically my post-graduation year felt the length of a month.
However, a lot of you (and a lot of us) had a mission when we JOINED ALU. That mission rings most true when you graduate. Your mission, if you’re honest about it, won’t really change much.
Yes, my mission to accelerate innovation and bridge the growing gap of unemployment across the continent has not changed. I grow in it every day by working at my job — exploring new challenges. I grow in it by running MeZIGO — employing local shops to be parcel pick up points. Baby steps.
We’ll need a lot more money to solve these problems. And a lot more bright youth to put their minds to the problem. Some of these people haven’t graduated yet, and some are just about to graduate. :)
How have you stayed connected to the ALU Community? Any tips on that and how it has been useful to you?
We have a WhatsApp group per region (eg. ALUmni network North Africa region) we also connect in smaller groups, for example, I connect very often with my Engineering cohort.
The only tip I’d have is, form a WhatsApp group I guess. Haha.
Catherine Njeri
Electrical Engineering Major, graduating class of Feb 2020
Entry Cohort of 2015.
