Girl Who Topped 2019 KCSE Shares Life Update, Says What She Pursued
- Barasa Maryanne Njeri, who ranked as the top female student in the 2019 KCSE, has shared a life update after years away from the public eye
- In a viral video, Njeri revealed her journey since high school and what she has been up to, including details about her boyfriend
- Her update drew both emotional and humorous reactions from netizens, who praised her brilliance while also criticising some of her choices
Life often takes unexpected turns. Some people who once dominated the spotlight for outstanding academic achievements quietly step away from public view.
Source: TikTok
This leaves many wondering what paths they followed and which careers they eventually chose.
However, going quiet doesn’t mean they stopped achieving. Some may simply choose to keep their journeys private.
One such high achiever is Barasa Maryanne Njeri, who gained national attention in 2019 after excelling in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams.
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Njeri sat her KCSE at Kenya High School, scoring an A plain with 87 points. She emerged as the second-best student nationally and the top-performing girl in the class of 2019.
Where did Barasa Maryanne Njeri go after high school?
In a recent update on TikTok, Maryanne shared that she proceeded to Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, United States.
There, she pursued a degree in biology and graduated with high honours in 2025.
But her academic journey didn’t stop there. She revealed that she had applied and been accepted to Yale Medical School on a full scholarship.
However, she decided to defer her admission to explore her passion for the brain.
“Still in 2025, I applied and got into Yale Medical School on a full ride, but I decided to defer my acceptance to study the brain for a year,” she said.
As part of this new direction, Njeri enrolled as an exchange student at Wellesley College, focusing on brain studies.
“I love studying the brain at a cellular and molecular level, and I’ve been doing this at multiple institutions,” she shared.
She added that she is currently back at Dartmouth, still pursuing her dream in neuroscience.
Source: TikTok
What is 2019 KCSE top girl doing outside academics?
Away from academics, Njeri shared that she helps manage her boyfriend’s music career.
“Part-time, I take lead on my boyfriend’s socials for his music career,” she said while posting photos of them together.
She also encouraged her TikTok followers to stream and support his music.
Netizens react to Njeri’s update
Genadrey:
“Girl, you don’t have to insert him into your achievements. You’re a brilliant and complete girl on your own.”
Riaka Yvonne:
“You’re brilliant! Congratulations on your achievements, and the ones yet to come.”
Bow:
“Wait, this is the boyfriend who wore sweatpants to the graduation?”
Afro Aquarius:
“So not only did you just graduate, you did so with honours, and that’s what he wore? I was smiling through the slides till the end.”
Puzzle over 2025 KCSE exams
A couple of months ago, Kenyans called out the government after it emerged that there was no allocation for the 2025 KCSE examinations.
This emerged after Treasury officials were grilled by the National Assembly committee on education, which revealed they had not made budget allocation for the 2025 national exams and invigilation.
“Exams are activities that take place at the end of every year. Summative exams have to take place. But you have presented a budget with zero. Why is it not in the budget?” Committee Chairperson and Tinderet Member of Parliament, Julius Melly asked as shown in this video.
However, after the uproar from Kenyans, the government announced that KSh 5.9m had been finally allocated for the examinations, which will commence in October.
However, the move was also criticised since the total budget needed for the 2025 KPSEA, KJSEA, and KCSE exams stands at KSh 12.58 billion.
Is Mbiti Mwondi employed?
In other news, TUKO.co.ke reported that a former top KCSE performer and University of Nairobi medical graduate shared the painful reality of life after school.
Mbiti Mwondi said that after completing his studies, he never got the opportunity to effectively utilise his skills.
He revealed that for five years, he remained unemployed and was forced to offer consultancy services to make ends meet.
Racheal Nyaguthie added details of the 2025 KCSE budget allocation
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
