I‘ve always had big dreams’

What TUM student Anne Nyokabi has to tell sounds like a modern fairy tale: She grew up in very poor conditions in Kenya and dreamt of being able to study. Then, Anne met a German tourist family that changed her life. In an interview with TUMstudinews reporter Sabrina Czechofsky, she reports why she has had luck on her side ever since. TUMstudinews: Anne, you have now been in Munich for two years. How come you are at TUM? - Anne Nyokabi: I studied Computer Science in Mombasa and didn't consider a stay abroad. In order to be able to afford my studies at all, I took on a cleaning job in a hotel. One day, I met a couple from Munich. We got along very well, and the two of them invited me to Munich and later helped me to apply to TUM. I have now been enrolled for a Master's course of Computer Science here for two years. That sounds like a dream. Sometimes, I actually do feel like I'm in a dream. The fact that I was able to go high school cannot be taken for granted, as my single mother could not support me financially. Sometimes, we had no idea how we would buy food for the next day. I always dreamt of being able to study - which was actually quite utopian, because there are high study fees in Kenya. Our neighbor always laughed at me because of my plans, but I made it in the end. Not only that. You also managed to enroll for a Master's course at TUM. The fact that I got to know the German couple was the biggest piece of luck. The two of them helped me a lot with everything: the visa, applying to TUM - and also financially, because I would never have been able to afford it all on my own. We are still in close contact. We meet up several times a week, and they back me up. I know I'm not alone in Germany. How do you like it in Germany?