 This is the way to do it. This is the way to do it. This is the way to do it. Welcome to Youth in Action, where young people have dreams that are flourishing big time. And remember, your dream is valid. In today's program, we have Fibian Chepchirchir, aka Miss Kibabu University, and also a student of education. Let's hear more. So Fibian, welcome to the show. Tell us a bit about you. Thank you. So my name is Fibian Chepchirchirki Plagat from Eldoret, and I'm studying at Kibabu University, a third year student pursuing Bachelor of Education Arts, Maths and Geography. Maths and Geography. Yeah, Maths and Geography. Yeah. So being on the spotlight takes courage. How did you get into modeling? Okay, I get into modeling when I stepped at Kibabu University. So I remember I was, I had friends who used to call me Miss Kibabu University, and yet I was just a first year. And I didn't know even anything about modeling. So I was like, why are they calling me Miss Kibabu University? Then they told me is because of the way I used to wear my outfits. So for that reason, I decided to be a model. I said, let me try. And at that time, I, there's no one who can, who can train me. Then I decided to look for a former Miss Kibabu University. Her name is Ada. Then I told her to train me. I want to be a model. Then she said, okay, then we trained. At first I didn't know even how to work on heels. I didn't know how to cut work. She used to tell me that I'm dancing. Okay. Yes, she used to tell me that I'm dancing and I really have to improve. But I have that, that modeling something in me. Then I tried and tried and tried after sometimes this girl, I don't know where she went and I was left alone. Then what I did is I kept on practicing and kept, I kept on training. I kept, I just kept on training about modeling because I wanted. I used to go to YouTube, TikTok, just looking about modeling, how they cut work, how they turn, how they pose, their smile and everything. Because I just wanted to be a model. Now that my friends are calling me Miss Kibabu University, I said, let me try and be. Let me try and be. Then I kept on doing that. Then at that time, we had a cultural week at Kibabu University last year on April. I was not even prepared. I didn't even want to contest. I don't know why. But I said, let me try. In fact, I was training for a long time. Let me try. So I tried. Apart from time to go to a train school, I went home, I came home and in your YouTube, I do more research, at least I learned one more thing from the yesterday one. So during that time, I had a lot of challenges during cultural week. I didn't have money to hire a designer and I wanted to contest. So I had a friend of mine called Massy Massicharity. I can help Navitu that day. I can help Navitu mob. I came to Nawial in Saidiya and creative work at Afuta, and I said, now I'm ready for the event. And do you know when I get ready, it's the 7th day that I'm going to be at the Kibabu University, and the event is going to be very happy, very happy. And so let me try. Then I tried. I went to Ranoi. I picked tag numbers. During I picked tag numbers, imagine I picked tag number one, and I'm not even ready. I'm not even sure. I was like, no, I'm not taking this number one. I'm not going to be number one. Just take your tag number. Then I just take yours. Then I just say, okay, let me try. I used to be more gassana, but that day I said, let me try, because I had a small courage. I want to be a model. I want to be someone great. Let me try. Then I say to myself, mama, just try. Okay, it kind of ran away and I was like, see as you're not going to watch what we're going to model. Let me just model and chill. They do their own things. Let me just do me. I don't want to see whatever they're doing and stuff. Let me just do me. Then I picked tag number one. So I'm going to be on everything. Okay. Before, I was like, I'm ready for anything. Whether I didn't know how to win, I didn't expect to win. So I said, let me wait just for anything. Anything for me, I'm good. Then I said, we are announcing now girls who are in a contest. Number three, number two, then number one, they said, let's let's wait. We are not even in a position to announce our winner. Okay. So you are so happy. That's so nice. Congratulations for that. This is quite a catchy story and experience of yours. The experience has been so nice in that even when I told my dad I'm contesting, he was so happy because my dad knows that I'm such kind of a person when you're entertainment and famous. So it told my dad, I want to be, I want to be a more, I want to contest. Then my dad was so happy and I said, it's okay. In fact, I remember some amount to me and I can say my all the best. So after me win, I told him and he loved Ali Tchaika like he was so, so happy and I like making my father happy. Wow. Being Miss Kibabi, you are a figure to look up to. So what, how do you maneuver the expectations of being this perfect icon that I am looking up to? Okay. Being Miss Kibabi University, first I really want to thank God for giving me this opportunity to be Miss Kibabi University because I've been a person whom I wanted to be. I wanted to be a model during, since my first year at Kibabi University, I wanted to be a model and this has really helped me to be the person I wanted to be. So I'm looking forward to mentor a lot of people to be models. I know there are, there are many people who want to be models, but they don't have that opportunity. So I would like to encourage people that if you really want to be a model, just do whatever you want to do. Try. Yeah. And modeling is often associated with beauty and fashion. What else can you say drives the modeling? Okay, modeling is not all about only clothes and makeups and stuffs. They also look at how you express yourself, the person you were and also, yeah, I guess how you express yourself, how you speak to other people, how you associate with people, how you interact and stuff. Because being, being a model is like being a leader. Like for example, for me, being in Kibabi University is like being a leader. I'm also a leader in this school. So I should act like, I should act as a role model, be a good person so that other people can do, can follow what I'm doing. And being on that platform, do you feel like on expectations, when I feel how you're meeked, you've changed some of your identity to maybe please other people because of being in Kibabi? No, I guess there are things that have not yet done. I really want to bring many people into modeling. I want to bring many girls into modeling. Like for now, I'm training some of my girls. They're not too many, but I really want more of them. I really want people to do what they want to do and be what they want to be. And from what I've heard of you and interacting with you, I understand you're a jack of many trades, so many artists, so many poets, so many dancers. How come you've mastered all these trades? For this, I think it's something that is inside me. It's something that I was born with, I guess, because since I was in primary, I used to love dancing and singing. In fact, I was the best singer. I used to sing Kikale when I was in primary. I used to solo. So I guess it's something that I grew up with. And during also primary, I joined choir. I joined choir, I was the best dancer in that choir all over my place. I was the best dancer and again I was the best singer in solo. So I was the best in dancing and singing while I was young until now. For now, I can dance. I love dancing. For singing, no, but I do spoken word. Spoken word, I started doing it during Kibbe University, when I joined Kibbe University first year. I just felt like I can do this. I didn't know even how to bring out that word, so spoken. I didn't know even to speak that spoken word. But I took my time and write some lines and try them, try them, try them. I used to go to YouTube and listen to Akina Karembo and that's how I just wanted to do it. Wow. Oh, many fresher. There's something you said about being shy, but being an artist, a spoken word, artist, a poet, a dancer, those are things not a shy person can do. How do you do it? Yeah, I was so shy when I grew up and one day I said, God, I don't want to be shy anymore. I prayed. I really prayed for that, for real. And all of a sudden, because I took one word. Wow. You said something about kuyimba, kikale, being a kale engine. How did you have an experience with that as a model and also speaking your words and voice? Okay, for singing, singing kale engine, I don't know, but my mother used to tell me that I can do it. My mother doesn't know how to sing in kikale and stuff. I love entertainment. So that's why I can dance, I can sing, I can model, and I can do the training at the same time. I can model for some time. I can go dance, I can do it. I just have that passion and I love doing them. I don't feel even bad going for training and stuff. And how do you get to balance your schoolwork as a student of education and all these activities? Okay, it's kind of, it's kind of hard, but sometimes you just have to schedule yourself. You have to schedule yourself. Like for example, weekends, you can do all like modeling and stuff on weekends because we don't have classes on weekends. And during also weekdays, you can do trainings after classes and do classes during class times. And how has that been? Has it been challenging? Yeah, it's been so challenging because sometimes you miss classes. Sometimes maybe you're called, come here, we have to do this, we have to model, we have to do this and this and this. So you have to miss class and coping up with it in a quahad. And being a spoken word artist, there are certain themes that you incorporate into your poem. What themes are those? Okay, I have one that's for love and another one is my feelings. Okay, I lost my mom, so I decided to write a poem about that. But it's all, I lost my mom, but the poem is about losing both parents. So I just use it to express what I feel. And so how did that help you become the person you are right now? I've really been wanted to be someone famous, someone people will know. I used to feel good when I go somewhere and people call me Miss Kibabi, Miss Kibabi, Miss Kibabi and I don't even know them. I feel good when my dad is happy because I am Miss University. I feel good because my siblings, my my sisters and brothers want to be the person I am. Yeah, like my sister wants to be a model, she's studying at Pony University, Pony University. So she told me that I want to be Miss Pony University, like you, I want to be Miss Pony. My younger sister who is in from one now wants to be a model. I love that. Being such an inspiration to your family members, what about the society around you? Do they have the same feelings as your family? Yeah, also the society have the same feelings in that when I used to move around, there are girls and other people who told me that may come you train me, I want to be a model, may you train me, I want to be like they are begging, they are begging, I train them so that they can be the person I am. And through your journey, you said you've lost your mom, are there other significant challenges through your journey that you feel like you've lost your mom, but I'm maneuvered? Yeah, challenges are there like for example when you need a lot of money or when you need money to do something with modeling and or whatever like even recording spoken word, the only person I'm depending on is my father. And when my father doesn't have money, you'll feel like I wish mom was there so that she can at least give me something small to cope up with it. So it's been, it's not, it has not been easy. It's been such challenging. Yeah. You speak often about motivating other people to join modeling and stuff like that. How does that make you feel being an icon to look up to or being someone figure to look up to? Okay, what I can say about it is modeling is not all about being beautiful, being, I don't know, people think that if you want to be a model, you must be so light skinned, your skin must be so pure and stuff. No, you can be a model the way you are. You can be a model the way, like even you now, you can be a model the way you are. Modeling is all about courage, trusting in yourself, having faith on you and doing you. You don't have to feel like I'm not light skinned, I'm not tall, I'm not skinny, no. Being a model is just being you. It's being you and being courageous enough. So and maybe there's someone out there, they have a different talent, they don't want to be models, but they want to be something else. But they are still reluctant, should I do it, should I not? What can you tell them? What I can tell them is do it, do it right now, if not today, not even tomorrow. Do it right. If you want to do something, just go for it. You don't know the price, you don't know whatever God has planned for you, just try it. Even if you can't afford something or just try with the little you have, try with the small you have and God will make you a great person. Ah, interesting. I am curious to know, where do you see yourself five to ten years in time? Okay, five to ten years in time I want to be, I want to mentor a lot of people in modeling. Like for example, I want to have my own agency, my own agency of modeling. I want to train a lot of people, both children, girls and boys. Yeah, that's what I am really yearning to. I want to have my own agency and train a lot of people in modeling. But what about your academics? I'll also like to be a teacher. Yeah, I'll be a teacher and during that teaching time, I'll use that teaching time to bring that agency and maybe during part times and during my old days, I'll be training people from there and when I'm fixed, I'll maybe look for someone to help me train the model. Wow, I love your spirit, you're so spontaneous, you're so motivational and when I grow up, I would love to be like you. Thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with me and talk about yourself. So nice, so commendable and you'll be a supermodel. Thank you, that's what I'm yearning to. Thank you so much. This has been an interesting experience for me, Miss Kebabu University and she has said it, do it right now and I love how she has done it, do it right now. There's no other time, see Kesho, see Kesho Kutua, do it right now. This has been Youth in Action, I am Nyongweso Grenis, see you next time. This is the way to do it.