A Kenyan woman has narrated how she earned a PhD in Engineering from the University of Oxford, after completing her Bachelor's Degree in Kenya.

Gladys Ngetich said that coming from a village in Nandi where early marriages and teen pregnancies were common, she was excited to be the first in her family to get admitted into a Kenyan university for her undergrad.

Speaking to TUKo.co.ke, Gladys narrated that she thought by earning her Bachelor's Degree, she was at the top of her academic journey until her then-campus boyfriend encouraged her to dream bigger.

"He would spend time looking up scholarships and master’s programmes abroad. I had never thought of leaving the country, let alone furthering my studies," she said.

Just before their graduation, he introduced her to a website that led her to the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, an opportunity she says changed her life for the better.

"I didn’t think I stood a chance, but I applied anyway, and to my surprise, I was one of only two Kenyans selected in 2015," she said.

Gladys said winning the scholarship opened doors she did not even know existed as she learnt about the possibility of going straight to a PhD without necessarily having a Master's Degree.

She was also a young student, in her twenties, and so she could not quite fathom getting a PhD as a young woman in her 20s, as the field is dominated by older men and women.

"I was intrigued, but I was also terrified. Could I go from an undergraduate degree in Kenya to pursuing a PhD in engineering at one of the world's top universities? I barely had any research experience," she said.

The thought of earning a doctorate was fascinating yet frightening, and so she had to seek the guidance of a Kenyan professor who had undergone a similar path.

"His words stuck with me: 'It will be a steep learning curve, but you'll manage.' That was all the encouragement I needed to take the leap," she said.

Gladys enrolled in a DPhil in Engineering Science, joining the Oxford Thermofluids Institute, where she researched novel cooling technologies for aerospace applications.

Her project, done in collaboration with Rolls-Royce Plc, focused on developing advanced cooling techniques for jet engines and was part of the UK’s multi-institution Transpiration Cooling Project.

Although the journey was daunting, she says she thrived in the lab and outside it.

“When I started, I was timid and fearful. But my confidence grew. I made friends, travelled, and pursued hobbies like track and soccer," she said, adding she also won awards and recognitions for her research work.

In an earlier story, Gladys also detailed to TUKO.co.ke how she overcame academic barriers to rise to the PhD holder she is today.

She recalled that while going to high school, she could not express herself in English, and when she did, her accent had the heavy influence of her native Kalenjin language.

Gladys said she had to work harder than her classmates, and by the end of her high school, she had grasped the king's language along with other subjects.

Source: TUKO.co.ke