Daraja 12th grader Jackie and school founder Jason Doherty had the honor of sitting down with Jane Goodall; primatologist, anthropologist, UN Messenger of Peace and member of the World Future Council. Listen as Jane shares her story of following her dream to Africa, studying the chimps at Gombe Stream, the importance of girls' education and so much more. Jane also makes a request of Jackie and plants a seed that could impact Kenya and the world at large. About Daraja Academy and the...

Only at Daraja would girls be so at ease 24 hours before Kenya's 12th grade national examinations. Listen as 12th graders Sharon and Farhia discuss growing up in the Kenyan school system and the KCSE, a three week examination that determines whether they can go to university, what they can study once they are there and why they feel so at ease the day before it all starts. Special Thanks to Salvador Santana for the use of his song, “Rise Up,” in our podcast! About Daraja Academy and the...

Only in her first year at Daraja, Faith speaks eloquently and with confidence about the struggles she has overcome in her life. For several years her family survived on the free lunch she would bring home from primary school. She tells us about her families struggles growing up in Dandora, in her words, “a slum right on the edge of the Nairobi dump” and how at times she had to negotiate its dangers to collect metals and plastics to sell. Special Thanks to Salvador Santana for the use of his...

Anzel has A LOT to say… and she does! Just listen to her confident flow after our host invites her to, “say hi.” She shares about growing up in Garrissa county, how its border with Somalia can make life difficult and her struggles with the patriarchal culture. As a 12th grader, Anzel explains about the valuable lessons she has learned while at Daraja. She concludes by interviewing the our host and Daraja founder Jason Doherty and asks some very pointed questions. Enjoy! Special Thanks to...

Stacy is a remarkable 12-grade student at Daraja who hopes to be an architectural engineer one day. She tells how she believes in destiny and that she was meant to do great things and change her small community where girls like her are still forced into early marriages. In fact, Stacy's father had already received the dowry payment for her arranged wedding to an older man when she ran away from home. Soon after she heard of Daraja, applied and her life has never been the same. Destiny? 3...

Brenda shares the difficulties of growing up with a single mother who never got the education she needed and the pain of being unable to go to high school. She talks about how great women like Toni Morrison and Wangari Maathai have roused something in her heart and how a National Geographic article inspired her to look beyond her small world. She concludes with a beautiful testimony of what Daraja is to her. 3 key take-aways How educating women can impact our world in a positive wayWhat...

Today's guest on Daraja Means Bridge is Joan Wairimu, the chairwoman of the Daraja Kenya Initiative, a team of dedicated professionals that support Daraja Academy. A successful businesswoman, Joan explains how she learned about and fell in love with the school, its mission, and the girls.  Listen as Joan talks about her experiences empowering and mentoring the Daraja girls. You can hear the compassion in her voice when she speaks about the students. But she is very clear with her advice to...

Today’s guest on Daraja Means Bridge is a Darja Academy original; she began her journey alongside host Jason Doherty in the first pioneer class at the academy, she as a student and he as an educator. Now, Marylene holds a university degree and has returned to the school as a history educator. She takes pride in bolstering the courage of new interviewees and students each year, actively participating in their difficult but deeply rewarding seasonal interviews.  Join them in their discussion...

Daraja 11th Grader Jackline  Jason Doherty begins this episode of the Daraja Means Bridge Podcast with his conviction that one day all of us will know about today’s interviewee--in Hollywood. Jackline is an 11th grader at Daraja Academy, and though she is still learning, she is already taking great measures to be a changemaker. She is a leader for girls in her school, an orphanage far away from school, and hopes to change the world with her unique goal of being an actress.  Listen today and...

Guest Julian Hayes Jason Doherty, host of Daraja Means Bridge Podcast, and Julian Hayes, guest entrepreneur, become fast friends in this episode as they discuss their similar experiences caring for a sick father and dealing with the negative changes that experiences like COVID-19 brought on. Join them and learn about Julian’s life growing up in Nashville: how his experience reading and developing a wide vocabulary shifted his paradigm and how meeting people from all walks of life shaped him...

Hellen Ngunjiri, Daraja’s Business Manager Hellen Ngunjiri is the business manager of Daraja Academy, but that is the least of her role at the school. After moving to campus, Hellen quickly became a mother, mentor, cheerleader, and counselor to twenty-some girls, and she wants the world to know that’s the part of her job that she values the most.  Join her and host Jason Doherty in their conversation on Daraja Means Bridge Podcast about the interviewing and selection processes at Daraja,...

Daraja 10th Grader Glory - Community Service in an Orphanage with 80 Children  Show Notes Today’s guest on Daraja Means Bridge Podcast is Jason Doherty’s future daughter-in-law for all intents and purposes, and her life story is one you will remember. Glory learned about courage and responsibility from a young age, a few details of her life including living with her sisters alone for three years in grade school, quitting school at age 12 to find money, and moving out of her flat because a...

Guest Stanley Kinyua Listen to the birds, baboons, and upcoming thunderstorm in Kenya as Jason Doherty and guest Stanley Kinyua lead their discussion for this episode of Daraja Means Bridge Podcast outside on the campus of Darajah Academy. Hear Stanley’s experience growing up in a village nearby campus and how he came to be an administrator at the Academy; one of the best choices he ever made.  Shooting from outside location on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro river, Stanley talks about the...

The guest Jason Doherty invites onto Daraja Means Bridge Podcast today is a powerhouse in every sense of the word. After an initial rejection from enrollment in Daraja, Rahama chose the path of strength and courage rather than anger, deciding that she would not take NO for an answer. In this episode, Rahama shares what it’s like being a young woman in a tense and tribally diverse community as someone who is “too brave and too bold.” As Rahama explains her experience reapplying to Daraja and...

Guest Student Eveyne Today, we are joined by Jason Doherty’s “favorite person on earth,” guest student in Daraja Academy: Eveyne. Living with a single dad and 6 siblings, Eveyne quickly became an advocate of learning to do things yourself in order to support you and those around you. With no money, support--or even pencils and papers--Eveyne shares the moments and lessons that drove her on her journey 6 hours south from living in a community split into three, where shots and killing over cows...

Welcome to the Daraja Means Bridge Podcast! Join Jason Doherty in another episode of Daraja Means Bridge Podcast with guest Marty Park, Canadian entrepreneur and successful business owner of 13 companies in over 17 industries. Marty shares the invaluable information he’s culminated over his career for alumni beginning their entrepreneurial careers and college students looking to expand their side hustle. Marty divulges practices that brought him success, both through smart business moves and...

Guest Deborah Santana Today’s guest Deborah Santana is a woman of social action. Deborah is a native Californian, African-American, and of Irish-English descent with a deep-rooted role in social activism that began before she was born. With parents of different races living in the lower middle class, Deborah claims that humanity and community are in her DNA. Deborah is now head of a foundation specified to help women and girls, and is a multi-published author. She has a deep appreciation for...

Guest Student Alice Naini Alice Naini is one of Daraja Academy’s brilliant students. She grew up with her grandparents in Kenya, with often not enough resources to provide food and basic clothing as a kid, but this didn’t stop her from mustering the courage to pursue her dream of education.  Now Alice actively leads her life as a college graduate from San Jose University with a major in mathematics, using her skills to teach math in highschool but also to head up multiple humanitarian...

Guest Victoria Meet the principal of Daraja academy herself in today’s episode of Daraja Means Bridge. Jason Doherty invites Victoria to share childhood stories that shaped her into a hard working, ambitious young woman, despite community expectations. She describes the influence of her hard-working father, who raised many girls. She also shares her initial impressions of the academy in its earliest years, discussing what little options a Kenyan girl had for her future, and explaining why...

Guest Victoria Meet the principal of Daraja academy herself in today’s episode of Daraja Means Bridge. Jason Doherty invites Victoria to share childhood stories that shaped her into a hard working, ambitious young woman, despite community expectations. She describes the influence of her hard-working father, who raised many girls. She also shares her initial impressions of the academy in its earliest years, discussing what little options a Kenyan girl had for her future, and explaining why...

Daraja 12th grader who's breaking the "traditional girl" mold   Daraja 12th grader and Jason Doherty dive into the Kenyan culture and how it directly affects the young girls there. Christine shares her story of how Daraja’s education helped save her from the FGM (female genital mutilation) and young marriage traditions of her tribe. Diving deeper into her experience at Daraja, Christine shares that her love for sports taught her how to step into her power and maximize talents she never knew...

Guest Lucy Wanyingi In this exciting episode of Daraja Means Bridge, Jason Doherty invites the first Daraja Academy student to speak of her experience in Kenya and Daraja. Lucy Wanyingi is a teenage girl on the cusp of passing her final, rigorous exams, but that is only a small part of her. After surviving a horrific accident, Lucy’s mother was rendered unable to support their family, including her baby sister. With her father traumatized by the accident, Lucy stepped up at a young age to...

Guest Lucy Wanyingi In this exciting episode of Daraja Means Bridge, Jason Doherty invites the first Daraja Academy student to speak of her experience in Kenya and Daraja. Lucy Wanyingi is a teenage girl on the cusp of passing her final, rigorous exams, but that is only a small part of her. After surviving a horrific accident, Lucy’s mother was rendered unable to support their family, including her baby sister. With her father traumatized by the accident, Lucy stepped up at a young age to...

Guest Student Asha Jason Doherty is excited to invite Daraja graduate Asha back to campus to share her life experiences before and after her education at their university. Originally from east Kenya, Asha was born in a place with many insecurities, where fighting and killing over resources like water and pasture (to the point of cancelling her school days), women being abused and rapidly married off, and children becoming orphaned were all a weekly occurrence. But Asha’s determination and one...