From Nairobi, with love 

SLA Student, Laura Grace Achieng Baraza

STAR Leadership Academy recently received its first Kenyan student. She speaks about her expectations and what enrolment means for her. 

On 12 September 2022, Laura Grace Achieng Baraza received an Instagram link from a friend. 

The link was for a STAR Leadership Academy (SLA) post calling for applications from high school students interested in joining a prestigious program for school leavers. 

Laura spent the whole evening filling in her application and made it just before the deadline window closed. 

What followed was a series of refreshes in her email and social media accounts, anxiously anticipating a response. 

Two months later, the response came, and she was invited for an interview.  

“I missed school for the interview, which was my first virtual interview ever. The interview was challenging, but I enjoyed the process,” said Laura. 

On 31 December, she received her congratulatory letter, which set her on a path to history. 

“It dawned on me that I was going to be the first Kenyan at SLA, and I was going to meet people from other nationalities. I immediately felt the pressure of wanting to represent my country right. When you travel outside your country, you automatically become an ambassador of that country, and how you handle yourself matters,” she said. 

What attracted Laura to SLA was the confluence of people from multiple cultures and the Christian environment.  

“I won’t lose my identity, but I am willing to learn about new cultures. At the end of the year, I expect to be a better leader, to bring change, and to learn things like how to manage myself academically while still contributing to society,” she said. 

She also hopes to grow her faith in Christ, develop leadership skills, learn about people and share her culture. 

A public speaking enthusiast, Laura hopes to share her skills with colleagues in the same cohort as hers. 

“When I leave SLA, I want part of my Kenyan culture to remain behind. It must be easy to see that a Kenyan was once here. I hope more Kenyans will get such an opportunity after me. We do not have many leadership programs focusing on students in my country,” she said. 

Laura wants to be an economist when she finishes school. She hopes the skills will help her transform her country and continent. 

“I can’t be precise about what will happen, but we can all dream. I see myself as an economist; I want to help different countries manage their resources,” said Laura.


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