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Profile: Miriam Achieng Kenyatta, the Kibera-raised student who finished in the world’s top 15 at the ‘Chinese Bridge’ contest.
Miriam Achieng Kenyatta, 23, grew up in Kibera. In August she stood on a stage in Xiamen, China, as one of 157 finalists from 139 countries in the 25th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition for foreign university students, and finished in the top 15.
That is the best result a Kenyan has ever had in the contest. The previous best was a top-30 finish by Naomi Wanjiku Thuo, China Daily reports.
How she got there
She went to Asumbi Girls High School in Homa Bay County, and is now studying geospatial engineering at the University of Nairobi.
Her interest in China started with a television drama about traditional medicine. As a girl she wanted to be a doctor who used acupuncture.
She began learning Chinese at the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi.
Most of the work she did on her own: she changed her phone's language to Chinese, watched Chinese films and followed Chinese-language accounts online. "I brought China to myself through what I was able to afford, which was my phone," she told China Daily.
The final
The final was held in Xiamen, in Fujian province, on 17 August. Her trip to China, she said, made her feel that "everything is possible".
The reports KNN reviewed do not say what she plans to do next, or which part of Kibera she grew up in. If you know Miriam, or you are her, KNN would like to hear from you on WhatsApp +254 721 319 377.
This story is based on reports by China Daily and Xinhua, both Chinese state media. Sources: China Daily, Xinhua via Malaysia Sun.
That was a Kibra News Network report, read by an A I voice.
Miriam Achieng Kenyatta, 23, grew up in Kibera. In August she stood on a stage in Xiamen, China, as one of 157 finalists from 139 countries in the 25th “Chinese Bridge” Chinese proficiency competition for foreign university students, and finished in the top 15.
That is the best result a Kenyan has ever had in the contest. The previous best was a top-30 finish by Naomi Wanjiku Thuo, China Daily reports.
How she got there
She went to Asumbi Girls High School in Homa Bay County, and is now studying geospatial engineering at the University of Nairobi.
Her interest in China started with a television drama about traditional medicine. As a girl she wanted to be a doctor who used acupuncture.
She began learning Chinese at the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi.
Most of the work she did on her own: she changed her phone’s language to Chinese, watched Chinese films and followed Chinese-language accounts online. “I brought China to myself through what I was able to afford, which was my phone,” she told China Daily.
The final
The final was held in Xiamen, in Fujian province, on 17 August. Her trip to China, she said, made her feel that “everything is possible”.
The reports KNN reviewed do not say what she plans to do next, or which part of Kibera she grew up in. If you know Miriam, or you are her, KNN would like to hear from you on WhatsApp +254 721 319 377.
KNN Newsroom is the staff byline for stories written, rewritten and edited at the Kibra News Network desk. Where a story credits an outside outlet, the original source is linked at the foot of the piece.
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