Gladys Chepkirui Ngetich did her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) at Lelaibei Primary School 14 years ago and scored 298 out of 500.
However, she was rejected in many schools but Sister Josephine Anyang’o, the headmistress at Mercy Girls' Secondary School accepted her to the school.
"I remember her taking my mom aside and having a lengthy conversation after my admission test. Mom told me later that the headmistress had informed her that I had not passed the test very well. I was not surprised myself because I had performed relatively dismally in the two languages in KCPE, and the admission test itself tested the languages and Mathematics. Mom further confided in me that nevertheless, the headmistress had chosen to give me admission in her school because she saw a great potential in me," posted Chepkirui on her Facebook account.
To many people's surprise, Gladys emerged the best student in the then Kipkelion District and joined Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), faculty of Mechanical Engineering and she graduated with a distinction.
She was listed among the top 10 United Kingdom's rising stars in this years.
"Last week, I was named among this year’s incredibly amazing Top 10 UK’s Rare Rising Stars. I have not even processed this news yet. I hope my academic journey resonates with someone. Keep going, give your all (even if your all gives you 298/500 marks!), keep stretching beyond the comfort zone, keep dreaming because no one knows what the future holds. And how I wish more schools would do the unusual and often look beyond the grades in transcripts especially during admission," Chepkirui noted.
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