My Name is Madeline Oduor, I am a Medical Doctor. My favourite historical figure is Marie Curie, a physicist who was the first woman to win a Nobel prize. She inspired me with her boldness, courage and discoveries that led to several breakthroughs in the field of medicine. My favourite quote of hers is “nothing is to be feared, it is only to be understood”. My hobbies include singing, taking care of plants, learning about food from different cultures from around the world, travelling and learning art. Before my presidency, I was a house captain in high school (Limuru Girls), and a class representative in med school 2016-2020.
What drove you to be a leader? MKUMSA’s president?
I would say inspiration from my peers and classmates, they saw great potential in me and motivated me to vie for the position. I was also driven by the fact that I find joy in interacting and working with people.
How was your experience? Was it what you expected?
It was life-changing to say the least. It served as an eye opener for me, as it put me in a position of interacting with people from different organizations. It was not what I expected, I thought it would be simply a walk in the park but it required a more dedicated and responsible version of myself
What some of the things you did in your time?
Organized a basic life support training for medical students, partnered with other schools such as school of Pharmacy and Avenue Hospital Thika to organize a blood drive, partnered with students from the college of health sciences to organize a medical camp for residents of Thika town, organized a white-coat dinner and finalist dinner for the pioneer class, partnered with KMA Sacco to provide financial advice to medical students.
How did you organize, plan, prioritize tasks and manage time?
At the beginning of my tenure, my committee members and I came up with a yearly calendar spreading out possible events to do during our term. We allocated events while ensuring there’s spaces of rest in between the months. In addition, we delegated tasks to every person holding a position and organized meetings to ensure each person was at par with the responsibilities allocated to them.
What is key in developing a good team? What qualities do you look for?
I would say co-operation and trust among team mates, as the African Proverb goes, if you want go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. Co-operation among members bring about positive outcomes, completion of tasks and the overall growth of the team. Qualities I look for is Honesty, respect, diligence and hard work
What are some of the challenges you experienced? How did you handle them?
One of the main challenges is introducing an idea to students and convincing them to take part in them. I handled this by reaching out to people who are influential to students and asking for help and joint effort in convincing more students. Another challenge I faced was sourcing adequate sponsors for a specific event. I handled it by reaching out to as many sponsors as I could and constantly following up with them. Lastly, it was challenging when committee members had different ideas and we have to come up with one final choice over a specific topic. I managed this mainly by having a vote and going with the majority, which has to include a positive outcome of the decision made as well.
What’s your advice for those aiming to participate demanding activities and take up responsibilities while in campus?
Plan plan plan. The key is planning everything out as soon as you get that responsibility. Balance out your work as well. Don’t spend all your time doing these responsibilities, forgetting studies or time with family and friends. Ensure you have slotted in time for all. Don’t postpone responsibilities. Do what you can, when you can. If work gets overwhelming, delegate or reach out to people for assistance. You will never know how many people are willing to chip in and help you out!
What advice would you give your younger self?
That it gets better with time. To not stress out so much because life is a series of little moments to be experienced, to take time to enjoy the good things in life and embrace the bad as they come and go.
Tell me about times you represented our institution.
My most exciting was when I got the chance to attend a 3-day cardiology conference, called Heart and Life, at the Trademark Hotel in Nairobi, 2022. This was through MSAKE; it was an eye opener for me as I learnt this whole other side of medicine which is quite interesting. I met several cardiologists and professors who wowed me with their knowledge, experience and enthusiasm. I also learned that age is really just a number, and exercise and healthy eating is not only good for your heart, but an anti-ageing agent. They looked so young! This exposure also made me develop key interest in the heart, and matters revolving around it.
Share an experience of how you successfully organized an event(s).
During the white-coat ceremony and finalist dinner, I got the chance to organize an event from scratch, from looking for a venue, to sourcing for funding, inviting guests from different organizations and seeing the event successful to completion. I got great support from our Patron Dr. Mbira, Dr Ritho and our committee members.
What achievements are you proud of in and out of leadership?
Successfully forming a partnership with Kenya Medical Associations (KMA) Sacco for providing financial advice to medical students for subsequent years, partnering with other universities e.g. The Association of Medical Students of the University of Nairobi (AMSUN), through AMSUN Art to support the creative side of medical students. Working with Kenya Redcross to organize basic life support training. Ensuring our institution retains membership with MSAKE and IFMSA (International Federation of Medical Students Association), to promote student driven activities such as medical education, sexual and reproductive health among others.
What are your hopes for MKUMSA?
To maintain student involvement in activities and have a stronger sense of togetherness
To continue being enthusiastic and take part in activities as it will provide them with exposure that won’t be taught in class.
How important is mentorship? How do you find one?
Mentorship is like a compass, guiding someone in a particular field of life. It promotes interaction between someone who is starting a certain task and another who is well experienced for the same.
How important is research?
In my opinion, research plays a big role in learning the trends in a particular field, learning more about a new idea and even promoting discoveries.
Follow MKUMSA @mkumsa14 on Twitter and @mkumsa.ke on Instagram Article by: Jared Kipkoech Ronoh
