Tell us a bit about yourself and your family.
I am Hillary, a young professional in the field of accounting. I am the first born in a family of two. My younger brother is 14 years. He’s a footballer.
At what point in your life did you start to take your faith seriously?
I started taking my faith seriously back in high school - in Form 2 to be specific. Before then I can say I still had teenage crisis as with many teenagers. So when I made the decision to put a little more focus on my spiritual life, I had my own doubts. This is because I was aware that I had to part with somethings in my way of life which to me then were very ‘important.’ However, with persistent struggles, little efforts and sacrifices here and there, for example missing movies on Saturday nights in school to go for prayers, my faith gradually grew.
At the university, I studied accounting in Strathmore University. It is a 3-year professional course. After that, I went and did Bachelor of Commerce in KCA University in Nairobi.
The motivation behind accounting was because I had done business studies in high school and found it very enjoyable so I wanted to take it a little further.
How do you spend your free time?
I have very limited free time. When away from work mostly on weekends I do talks for Macheo, a mentoring programme for disadvantaged youths, and with other young students as well. Other than that, I do karate classes daily after work. Once in a while, if I still have more free time left, I can watch or play a soccer match.
How did you discover your vocation?
I discovered my vocation through assistance both from the family and from mentors. It has been a journey that began a while back. From the family front, my late grandmother played a big role in my childhood spirituality since I accompanied her for daily morning mass from a very tender age. When I got to the University, I was given mentors who helped me grow through virtue talks until the time I eventually found my vocation.
There is a lot of peace in living your vocation. One thing some people do not know is that they can find their vocation through their ordinary way of life hence there is no need to do extra ordinary things to find your vocation. Therefore, I encourage young people not to be afraid of looking for their vocation for the fear of losing their peace and comfort, because there is so much peace that comes with one’s vocation.