Expanding Horizons
The weight of her graduation gown presses her body. It isn’t the best fit but she can’t worry about that. Instead, she gracefully walks onto the stage. Three intense years have led to this moment. She’s the student representative and she’s ready to give her commencement speech in front of hundreds at Carnegie Mellon University. But first, in Thogori Karago style, she must take a selfie. When she speaks, her love for people and her desire for success is evident.
Thogori journey began deep within Kiambu County, Ruiru to be precise. From this little town she would commute to Kianda School daily, but the distance didn’t deter her crave for success, and thus she excelled in both her primary and secondary education. On weekends, hours would be spent gaming with friends, and this is perhaps the little thing that sparked a love for tech. However, as Thogori got older, the love for sciences was inevitable, and the idea of a career in medicine seemed possible. After Form Four, she interned at the casualty ward at Kenyatta National Hospital, but the hectic nature of the hospital was decidedly not for her.
After evaluating her personality, Karago’s father suggested a tech degree. The memories of her childhood weekend were resurfaced and she took her father’s advice. Limkokwing University of Creative Technology in Malaysia is where the hard tech work commenced. Four years later, Thogori displayed the stuff of legend when she received a First Class Honors Degree. Post campus, she stayed on in Kuala Lumpur working together with AIESEC Malaysia, volunteering for a short time and eventually joining the leadership committee.
In 2010, she came back home and put to practice what she knew at XRX Technologies – a booming enterprise tech corporation in East Africa. With her skills, the company grew in leaps and bounds. Though after a time, she felt the urge to face a new challenge abroad. Thogori applied for a Masters in Information Systems Management at Carnegie Mellon University. It was daunting; however, she was driven by the urge find ways that would benefit Kenya, and subsequently Africa.
On graduation day, Thogori was the chosen student to give the commencement speech. In addition to this honor, she was set to start at LinkedIn Africa as the Head of Research & Development. In time, she soared and became the Senior Product Manager.
Presently she has a few start-up businesses in California, all of which have been wild successes. Despite these achievements, Karago takes time to mentor young girls in Kenya. She challenges them to pursue careers in tech just as her father did when she was younger.
It seems like wherever Thogori Karago goes, she flies straight to the top. From Ruiru to Silicon Valley, she remains the same. This driven, fun-loving woman shows the heart of Kenya every time she takes a selfie and posts it with wisdom she’s acquired over the years. We congratulate her and cannot wait to see other great things she hopes to do around the world.
#KeDiaspora
