Pictured: Baraka Kamau ‘23
Humans of Gordon is a recurring feature in The Tartan that highlights the lives of Gordon Students.
Tell me about yourself!
“My name is Baraka Kamau; I am a sophomore studying economics, originally from Nairobi, Kenya. I was born and raised there and I came to the states about two years ago. I am also a sister of four siblings and an aunt to two nieces, which is really nice!
What is something that you’ve learned so far?
The first thing I’d say is that my faith has definitely gotten stronger during my time here at Gordon. I think for a while I was really struggling to find my identify and what God really wants me to do and why God would take me from Kenya and bring me all the way here and the more I’ve been here and the more I’ve been getting to the know the community I’ve just been feeling a sense of home and really just a sense of purpose. I think that was something I was really hoping to get, and I really struggled, especially freshman year and a lot of it into last semester, but this semester is really just a time of peace. I just declared my major this week, which is also why I’m in the state that I am! I think for me it’s definitely the community that I have come to love and cherish and appreciate because I can see the difference and my friends tell me they can see the difference of how God is working in my life because of Gordon.
What something you may regret or a challenge that you’ve faced?
I don’t think I regret anything, honestly. One of the things I’ve come to realize is that even if I go through challenges or obstacles and I’m not sure why, there’s always something that God wants me to learn, or something where I’m not necessarily going through it because of ‘me,’ but I’m going through it so I can share that testimony with someone else and that’s actually something that I’ve been seeing. I’m an RA in Lewis, and its been great sharing with my residents and getting to know them more, but also sharing from the experiences I have had, both good and bad.
If you could share one piece of advice, either with the freshman version of yourself or incoming freshman or current freshman, what would it be?
Oh my goodness! I think on the technical side it would be get a planner, get an outlook calendar, just get organized! But I would also say don't be so worried or don’t despise yourself for not really knowing why you’re here. There’s definitely a reason, there’s a purpose- you’re going to find it. Have an open mind, an open heart to receiving, to giving to others, and just have fun, because Covid is coming! Just enjoy yourself and get into opportunities that will help you not only with your school work but also will grow you spiritually and mentally.
What is either one of your favorite things about the location or our school, or a Baraka specific memory of school so far?
I think the community is amazing. My first winter here, I think one of my favorite memories was the Christmas Gala which I as a part of. It was just really beautiful seeing everything lit up. I struggle a lot with the cold because back in Nairobi it’s like, 60 degrees is the coldest. So this is kind of extreme! So just making the lights, everything just looks really nice and really homey. I like the small town, you know, because it kind of reminds me of home. I grew up in a small town, small village. It’s just a very cozy feeling. I’d also say the fact that this is a private christian school has been kind of really great because I grew up in a private christian school and this just feels like a more elevated experience of home and what I’ve grown up having.
What do you envision for the next couple years and Gordon and beyond?
That’s a great question! I definitely hope to see myself grow, not only in my faith, but also in my relations with other people and getting to know others, and how God is going to use me in that way. I also hope to just challenge myself for the better, whether academically, whether mentally, whether physically. One of the really awesome opportunities that I’ve gotten to be a part of is the worship band here at Gordon, and that was a huge step for me, you know? But I have enjoyed the time I get to worship with my band and lead Gordon in worship. So I think the next few years at Gordon I just hope to grow holistically!
Is there anything else you would want to share with your Gordon community?
I think I’d probably say that I think I’ve said so many things about my experience here that I have really enjoyed but I would also say that the friendships that you get to build here are super important and they will impact your life. I’m super grateful for being surrounded by people who love the Lord and will support me and be there for me. Last semester was one of the most challenging semester I have had so far in my college life, with all the things that were happening at Gordon and in general. The friendships that I had were so important. Having these support teams, having these echo chambers is something that I would strongly encourage every student to have, because college is tough! But if we can get through it together then it’s going to be fun.
Pictured: Joan Ndekezi ‘23
Tell me about yourself!
My name is Joan Ndekezi. I come from Kigali, Rwanda. I was born and raised up in Kenya and Tanzania as well, so I lived in all those three countries throughout my childhood. I’m majoring in Economics and Math as well. I’m taking math classes to declare my major soon. I am a sophomore, so this is my second year. I am 19 years old and I love the Lord.
What has been your experience so far at our school?
I honestly really love Gordon. Despite the challenges we are experiencing currently regarding race and other things, I’ve had a good experience so far. I love my professors so much, and that’s like my highlight of my whole Gordon experience! I’ve met new friends and they are wonderful. There have been challenges that I have experienced as a student of color, but despite that there is a lot of beauty around here and I really love Gordon.
Recently you read a poem in chapel. Can you tell me a little bit about it?
I am the one who composed it, largely, but my friend Arlenis did it as well. My hope in writing the poem was to remind the black community that the stereotypes that are labeled to us are not true, and when the Lord sees us, He sees something that He loves, something that He adores, because He’s the one who made us. And it also is communicating to the white community that it’s not just us, so the fact that we are all created by God, the fact that the vision of God on us is something that He loves. That’s what I wanted to communicate; that we are all loved by God and He does not see stereotypes, he sees something that He loves.
What is something that you have learned during your time at school, whether big or small?
I’ve learned so many things so far! I believe that the way I came here is not the way I am now. I would say I’ve learned that I am a work in progress, I’ve learned that people have very different perspectives. I’ve learned that not everyone will agree with me, I’ve learned that I should stand on the principles of God, because there are so many principles that people stand on that are not biblical, so despite being disregarded or not accepted, I should just stand on what the Lord says no matter what. With that, i’ve also learned to respect people’s opinions, because it’s their opinion, and I am not called to force anyone to believe in what I think! There’s many things I need to learn, about people about culture, about America, about my black community, about the white community, about us all. I have a lot to learn.
If you could share one piece of advice with your freshman self, or generally to freshman or someone interested in maybe being a freshman here some day, what would it be?
I would say be prepared to learn, be prepared to grow, be prepared to see beauty despite the ugly. Be prepared to be part of the change… and put God first, no matter what.
What do you envision for the next couple of years and beyond?
In regards to my academics, I see myself growing academically and doing my majors, Economics and Mathematics and maybe doing some other classes in Political Science and Psychology and English for my electives. I envision myself making a lot of friends and learning a lot about culture and learning a lot about God and being part of the change.
Is there anything else you would want to share with your peers?
What I would share with the Gordon community is that unless the Lord builds the house, the house is in vain, so let’s keep God first, make sure God is the center of all we do. Even though it’s ministry, worship, activism, being in economics class, let’s make sure we are doing it for the glory of God, and let’s be reminded that the battle is not ours, it’s for the Lord. This doesn’t mean we just sit down and pray. It means that we become vessels and we surrender our hearts to God and allow Him to work in us, because when we fight for ourselves, we will lose because we are human. But when we surrender and let the Lord fight for us we will be victorious and all the glory will go to Him.