My College Day in the Life as a UNH International Changemaker Grant Recipient

Are you wondering what a day in the life of a UNH student looks like? Welcome back to our Day in the Life of a UNH Wildcat blog series, where we put the spotlight on students from different academic majors and class years. 

Today, Aliana Carbone '25, a business administration: management and sustainability dual major, walks us through a day in her life in Kenya, as a recipient of the International Changemaker Grant.

Funded by the International Changemaker Grant, I traveled to Kenya to work alongside an amazing nonprofit organization, Kenya Connect, to expand the LitMom program, which gives local mothers access to income generation programs. While in Kenya, we hosted a Shark Tank-inspired competition at two local secondary schools, came up with additional income generation programs, and hosted a meeting with a potential partner who could help the LitMoms sell their products internationally. 

All the Wildcats that went on the trip after receiving our spirit animals at the goodbye lunch

Morning

7:30 a.m. Wake up

Every day, we leave Muthoki Lodge (our lodging area) at 8:30 to start our morning activities. I wake up, get ready, and head to breakfast. At breakfast, I always request eggs from the amazing staff at Muthoki. I have eggs, watermelon, and a whole bunch of chapati, which is a traditional thin flatbread. It is such a delicious way to start my morning! 

My friend Ava's and my second school group. This group came up with a food subscription delivery service to combat malnutrition in communities. 

8:30 a.m. Kenya Connect

After breakfast, we all load into the bus and head to our first stop of the day. At Kenya Connect, everyone grabs the items they need for the activities of the day. Kenya Connect has everything from books to art supplies to craft materials, which we can use when going to different schools to help provide resources to the children. 

One of the five finished interactive mural paintings that were done at the Special School 

9:30 a.m. Wamunyu Special School

We then go to the Wamunyu Special School, where we have been doing various projects throughout the weeks. Everyone was involved in painting interactive murals for the students. The occupational therapy students were responsible for helping the teachers create lesson plans and an engineering student was working on making the playground more disability friendly. Today, we finish painting our murals and the kids love them! 

My friend Ava and me teaching the students what goes into a business and what to consider when thinking about designing their poster. 

11 a.m. Goodbye ceremony

After wrapping up at the Wamunyu Special School and playing with the students, we go back to Kenya Connect, where we have lunch and a goodbye ceremony. Since it was our last full day here in Kenya, Kenya Connect hosts a very emotional ceremony where everyone receives a wood carving of their spirit animal. I receive a weaver bird as my spirit animal because it symbolizes strong connections, community building, and having an outgoing personality. 

Afternoon

My friend Ava's and my first secondary school group. We had so much fun working with them on the book trading company they created. 

2 p.m. Nyaani Secondary School 

Throughout our two weeks here, I taught at two different secondary schools. 

We taught four sessions:

1. The basics of business and creating a solution to a local problem
2. Creating presentations
3. Designing a poster and practicing presentation skills
4. Presenting in front of peers and judges

My group's problem was the lack of books in schools, and the solution was creating a transportation program that would bring borrowed or traded books from one local school to another. Although my group did not win the competition, it was great to see them all work together throughout the weeks and get comfortable with their public speaking skills. 

After finishing our murals, we spent time playing games with the students at the Wamunyu Special School.

3:30 p.m. Miodoni Secondary School 

At this school, we are doing the same Shark Tank-style project. My group comes in second, addressing the problem of having an insufficient diet in the local community with a solution of creating a farming subscription service that delivers fresh produce to members every month. It was very inspiring to see the different problems the students saw in their everyday life and how they could creatively find solutions.

Evening

Me painting one of the murals. I was painting lily pads and a frog so the younger students can jump alongside the painting and get active! 

5 p.m. Back to Muthoki 

After our day full of learning from and being inspired by the Kenyan students, we go back home to Muthoki Lodge. Muthoki hosts a special dinner for our last night. Dinner is a cookout with Kenyan music, fresh meat, and a bonfire. It is sad to say goodbye to the staff that we got to meet over the course of two weeks, but it has been very meaningful to feel so cared for while far away from home. 

Ava, Ella and I on a safari the following morning. We saw lions, giraffes, rhinos, and lots of other gorgeous animals. 

9 p.m. Goodnight

After dinner, we all hang out by the fire for a little bit before heading to bed. The next day, we have an early morning safari waiting for us before our flight home. Thanks for coming along with me on one of the many fulfilling days I had here in Kenya! 

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