Now one of the most highly paid software engineers within the US Bank of America (Federal Reserve), Josephine Wairimu’s grass-to-grace story is one to draw lots of inspiration.
This woman has led a hardworking and tenacious life, rising from literal rags to building an empire of success from the ground up.
Despite now being one of the most qualified technical professionals at the US Federal Reserve, Josephine traces her success roots back to her early life in Kenya.
In an interview with Lynn Ngugi, she openly shared the challenges she faced in making it big in a foreign land. Josephine hopes that her story can inspire many young people out there, that nothing is impossible.
“They are very vulnerable and need a lot of motivation and care. They go through so much without telling anyone,” she said.
Born into a humble family of seven children, Josephine was raised by a single mother. Throughout her early life, she never had the privilege of being raised with a silver spoon in her mouth. Her mother was the breadwinner, albeit struggling.
The woman recalled one time when she and her sister were sent home for failing to pay school fee arrears of Sh. 4. They ended up staying at home for over a month for failing to clear the fees.
During that time they stayed at home, she and her sibling worked at a tea farm. Eventually, they returned to school, thanks to their mother who consistently nurtured the spirit of academics in her children.
“Mom always told us ‘There’s nothing you can get from me besides education’. Somehow, we were always focused on school,” Wairimu noted.
While in class 5, her mother got remarried to a supportive man. However, it was a polygamous relationship, with him having 9 other children with a different woman.
Josephine Wairimu attended Gilgil Primary, where she graduated Class 8 at the top of the school. She received a call up to Sing’ore Girls High School, where she graduated successfully as the top student.
She landed a spot at Kenyatta University to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Education. She struggled to adjust to the Kenyan university setup where students are many, since she had recently completed her education at a boarding school.
In her first year of college, she became pregnant with her brother’s friend who was relocating to the US. Despite initial denial, she had a successful delivery. Unfortunately, the child succumbed to pneumonia a few weeks after birth.
The child’s father supported Josephine by helping her obtain an F1 US Student Visa. Essentially, she got married at 21. Upon arriving in the US, she decided to pursue a course in information systems, having observed that many available jobs at that time were related to the IT sector.
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“I graduated with an associate degree after 2 years in community college…I took myself to a 4-year college and started doing a computer science degree,” Josephine said, adding that by this time she had already got a son in the US.
After years of working with her H1 (Work Permit) visa, she got a green card and became a US citizen. She became a software engineer and started a consultancy firm.
This was the lead-up to her landing a job at the Federal Reserve, making $40 an hour while consulting. In a day, she would work 8 hours, and earn at least $320 (Sh. 50,720).
“At work, they rate us from T1 to T7, the T standing for Technical. I’m a T7.”
Now, she has three bright children and a loving husband. In her wildest dreams, a young Josephine could never have imagined reaching these peaks.
One of her blood siblings is Rosemary Kirika Njeri, the deputy governor of Kiambu County. Josephine’s dream is to motivate young people and make a difference by positively touching people’s lives.Â
“I hope I can help a girl and a boy somewhere. Young people need to be counselled…but if life happens, that’s not the end of things. Keep your focus,” she remarked while concluding the interview.Â
