Brenda Keino - Fall 2007

Brenda KeinoAs the plane descended over the scenic view of Washington and came to a bumpy stop in front of the wall that boldly read "welcome to the United States," I was overcome by an overwhelming feeling of deep accomplishment. I was finally here; my dream to work and learn from an international media had come true and there was no stopping me now! With a lingering smile, I walked out to discover, explore and become.

I am a student from Kenya, in my fourth year at Maseno University, studying communication and media technology. Kenya is a pretty small country with a totally different culture, and I was excited arriving in the states because of the great exposure and technological advantage that I will be taking back to my country after the internship.

During my first years in primary school, I devoured book after book and never tired of reading. I was fascinated by stories and always excelled in essay writing. By the time I was in high school, I knew that I wanted to go into the media industry and especially print. Spurred on by this, I enrolled for mass communication at the university where I was actively involved in the editing of the monthly students' magazine.

My biggest accomplishment so far has been my involvement in the production of the debut newsletter for a nongovernmental organization in Kenya that deals with community development. It was a small production, but it was really emotional and carried stories of the struggles of the women and children of a small fishing community in Nyanza Province in Kenya.

Getting those stories meant that I had to live with the people to really get their feelings. That experience humbled me and showed the resilience of humanity even in the greatest hardships.

I am here ready to learn and look forward to covering all kinds of stories from hard news to features.

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