Joanne, a Kenyan working at the Microsoft Company in the United States, recently warmed the hearts of many after sharing her story.
Before moving abroad, she worked at warehouse in Dandora, and she was left homeless at some point after quitting her job.
However, Joanne was able to bounce back and turn her life around after getting an opportunity to move to the United States where she currently lives.
Here is her story as told by WoK.
Joanne was born and raised in Kenya and although she moved to the US at a young age, she lived part of her adult life in Kenya.
In an interview, she described the difficulties she faced while working in Kenya, including having to resign her job at a warehouse in Dandora due to hardship and emotional exhaustion.
Following her resignation, Joanne was left homeless since she couldn’t afford to rent a house, forcing her to sleep on her friends’ sofas for months while moving from one house to another.
“I was homeless, so I was moving from house to house. It’s people’s couches so you can’t stay for long, you can only stay for some time. The struggle was real,” she shared.
Joanne then chose to relocate to the US but her efforts were thwarted when her visa application was refused many times by the Embassy.
She eventually got the visa and relocated to America after successfully completing all of the necessary prerequisites.
Like any other foreigner, Joanne struggled with cultural adaptation and obtaining work to support herself, forcing her to live with friends.
However, she got an opportunity to study after attending the National Black MBA Conference in Philadelphia following an invitation by a friend.
“When I got there I was shocked to see Havard, Yale and other top schools on people’s badges, and I’m looking at my tag shaking my head,” she recalled.
Following the conference, Joanne was lucky to receive offers from big corporations including Microsoft and Apple Inc.
“They flew me out to Houston Texas, put me in one of the most expensive hotels, showed me around the campus, and I was like, wow, I want to work here,” she said.
After completing her studies, Joanne secured a job at Microsoft.
Established in 1970, the National Black MBA Association is dedicated to developing partnerships that result in the creation of intellectual and economic wealth in the black community.
In partnership with over 400 of the country’s top business organizations, the association has inroads into a wide range of industries as well as the public and private sector.
