Brian Mahehu Kagondu

My name is Brian Mahehu. I am a Civil Engineer by Profession with close to two years experience post graduation. My STEM journey has been a roller coaster with wins and misses as I share below.
Chess has been a part of my life for the longest period. I have participated in the game since primary school and honestly would say it made me a nerd (pun intended). All the same, I enjoyed problem solving from a young age and with time, even upon transitioning to high school, I noticed I was good with the sciences. As such I actively participated in science congress and other events.
My most memorable experiences in high school were representing the country in the world youth chess championship in Antalya Turkey, being made deputy captain of my high school as well as deputy captain of the President Award Kenya in my high school. Through this avenue, we were able to teach students in a nearby local primary school Mathematics and Science as they had a challenge with the subjects. Fast forward, I completed my O levels with a mean grade of A- and dived into the engineering world at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
Campus was definitely the creme de la creme of it. I had an opportunity to represent my university in all the regional chess championships in which we won repeatedly. Civil Engineering being a course work for the built environment, gave me an opportunity to participate in projects revolving around construction materials and design.
By God's grace I was able to complete my studies with a Second Class Honours (Upper Division).
I consider myself fortunate as I completed my studies and landed a job immediately. This was through using networks I had actively built over time as a student back at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. It is for this reason that I believe in mentorship as hand holding to help steer one into a path that breeds greatness. Currently, I am also involved in youth mentorship through a group called EduYouth aimed at educating young people on technical vocational training.