By Harold Ayodo

When he graduated as the best chemistry and biochemistry student at US’ Colby College, Solomon Gisemba was continuing a trend he started in primary school.

The Alliance High School oldboy says discipline instilled in him at the school enabled him to work hard and excel in his studies and make the dean’s list. "It is not easy to lead in examinations at Colby because of the calibre of students," he says.

Only 30 per cent of 1,850 learners make the list, says Jacobs."

Associate director of communications Ruth Jacobs says making the list gives one a competitive edge when they are searching a job.

"I did it by attending all my lectures, completing assignments on time and seeking out lecturers for tutorials on difficult topic," he says.

Given the many activities he is involved in outside class, it is clear Gisemba who scored 430 of 500 marks in KCPE believes in the adage all work but no play makes Jack a dull boy. "I play football when on break from books…I also sing in a gospel choir, do gardening and volunteer work in high schools," he says.

Swahili tutor

He works as a student consultant at the College Information Technology Department and is a Swahili tutor.

The former senior prefect and editor of the Alliance school newspaper says co-curricular activities had a bearing on his academic performance.

"I served on the leadership committees of several clubs including the St John’s Ambulance and the Seventh Day Adventist Society and I loved reciting poems in French in the secondary schools music festivals," he says.

It was at Alliance that signs he was destined for a career in science emerged. Gisemba always excelled in science and technology projects.

After scoring A in KCSE he appeared to be well on the way to achieving his dream of becoming a pharmacist. After high school he was admitted to University of Nairobi and Colby.

He chose Colby because the college offered him a scholarship because and had a reputation for being strong in sciences.

Gisemba says the idea of learning with students from around the world appealed to him.

His ambition is to get a PhD in pharmacy, biochemistry or synthetic organic chemistry.