I am reaching out for support for Benard Koech to settle into the US. Ben is moving from rural Kenya to the US for graduate school with only a handful of belongings and facing lots of expenses to settle in and get a good start. I hope to network with folks to help cover costs of things such as books, a phone, perhaps a tablet or laptop to study at home, and of course, appropriate clothing for Montana. His story is quite remarkable.

We met Ben in Kenya at 10 years old, studying by lamp light. I was there working on my Ph.D. research and Ben had to flee from a conflict zone; he took refuge with a Kenyan friend I’d known from my time in Kenya with the Peace Corps. Ben was determined to get an education and Bill and I were so moved by the situation, we sponsored him through elementary school. He did incredibly well and got an organizational sponsorship for his secondary school education. Again, he rose to the top and qualified to take finishing exams which hold the possibility for college. In Kenya, only the top students are allowed to sit for the exams, about 800,000 in the country, and only about of those students 7% each year go on to university. Ben was one of the top 7%. Not surprising, he graduated with his Bachelor’s degree in economics and statistics with high honors!

Over the same period of time, I finished my Ph.D. and secured a position at Montana Tech, a school well-known for its strong engineering programs. Last year, I shared Ben’s transcripts with one of my colleagues who encouraged him to apply for and accepted him to graduate school in the engineering department. Over the past year, we’ve spent countless hours working on his immigration documents, health reviews, visa interviews and scheduling airfare from Nairobi, Kenya, to Butte Montana.

Many of you have heard his story as we anxiously moved through the immigration process, but I waited to make sure it was really for real before I decided to network for support. He’s on his way and will arrive today (the 6th of August)! We are excited for Ben to get here.

If anyone is in a position to offer support, I know he would greatly appreciate it, even small amounts go a long way in helping him get the basics.

Otherwise, if you see Ben around town, be sure to say hello. He’s a great person and eager to make friends and integrate into the Butte community!