Meet 21 Yr Old With an Internship at Google, Business Venture & Who Says Average is Boring

By Tabitha Makumi,

At 21, most of us are clueless and naïve. We are still trying to get our bearings in life. But then there are the few ones who prove to us that even at an early age, you don’t necessarily have to be any of those two things. They seem to have it all figured out.

Such a person is 21 years old Esther Wangu Kinuthia, who despite her young age, she managed to find her way to the coveted list of Business Daily Top 40 under 40 Women of 2014.

“My family especially my dad was super proud of me for making the list,” she tells me when I meet her for an interview adding that he is the one person who taught her at an early age to always be the best she can be.

“He always told me Wangu, you can do it. Don’t be average. And you know what being average is boring,” she says.

Ms Kinuthia who is also a Strathmore University student reason for making it to the list is because of her blog. Simply titled Miss Independent (Miss I)

“I started blogging without any knowledge on web hosting, blogging or any IT background but I kept on doing it because I wanted to make the world better than I found it. I know it might sound a bit like a cliché but that’s is my meaning in life,” she says with a smile adding that it’s her belief that young people can make it in life without waiting for connection to succeed in life.

Speaking of connections, how exactly did she land an internship at Google Kenya? “I applied for it online and I was among the few people who were lucky enough to join the esteemed company,” she adds, “I am in the marketing department and I take the opportunity as a God given one because it gives me the opportunity to learn the practical way of doing things which is different from what you learn in school,” she says adding that, “Plus interning with such a big company keeps me on my toes as it challenges me not to be comfortable.”

And while a lot of people blog for the money part of it, Ms Kinuthia does it for whole different reasons. “True, money is important but I do it because I want to inspire young people on how they can refuse the average mentality. You find so many young people today complaining of the many challenges they are facing day in day out and yet they do nothing about it. That’s the kind of mentality I want to rid off,” she says confidently.

While she looks 21, her weighty words you will agree do not sound 21 at all. Where does she get that from? I probe “It has a lot to do with Strathmore University because it has shaped me to be who I am today,” says Ms Kinuthia who looks up to people like Synovate’s Margaret Ireri, Oprah Winfrey, entrepreneur Susan Wokabi and her family as her role models.

Would she define herself as a go getter? I ask. She ponders on this and smiles. “I think I am a go getter but I am also not a pushover either. You can be a go getter and still not be annoying about it,” says Ms Kinuthia who adds that she has no regrets over the direction her life has taken. “I always wanted to be a doctor but after getting a B+ on my KCSE, she decided to rethink her options,” she adds that, “I am happy being in marketing.”

With two helpful brothers who are able to cater for her Bachelor of Commerce school fees at Strathmore, and who are proud of the milestones their young sister have been able to beat , Ms Kinuthia uses her time juggling between an internship at Google, school and running the blog.

Spending most of her time at Google, she admits that, “I won’t lie, it’s challenging because in all of this things, I have to maintain quality in whatever I do and pay attention to detail . ”

And her future does look bright. Her eyes light up when she starts talking about what she is hoping to accomplish in the near future. “I am still hoping to be at Google, not as an intern though,” she laughs at this then adds, “I would also like to have my own show and magazines where I will be addressing youth oriented issues and still trying to exterminate the average thinking out of them.”

Speaking to young people out there she says, “One, you need to start believing in yourself and your abilities, because if you do not, who will? Two, never underestimate those you meet along the way because you never know where and when you might just need them. Three, refuse to be average and lastly, love your challenges, they make you who you are.”

She sums it up by quipping that, “I don’t sell success. I sell the journey to success.”

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