Years after graduating from the Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications (GSMC), a former student found himself stuck. He had cleared his fees and needed his certificate, but the clearance form was missing, and he was out of the country. Unsure where to turn, he contacted Marion Njoki, GSMC's Technical Operations and Administration Manager.
“Just share with me the empty clearance form with your signature," Marion told her. “I will ensure that it is signed by all departments."
Within two days, it was done. The graduate's response was simple: “Thank you a million times."
Moments like this matter to Marion. She knows that what looks like a small administrative issue can feel enormous to the person waiting. That is why she follows up, makes the calls, and tries to reply even when a student messages her over the weekend.
“We don't even call them students," she says. “They are our colleagues."
Her drive to help others was shaped by her own uncertain beginnings. At the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication, where she studied electronics and telecommunications engineering with a broadcast option, Marion wrestled with mathematics and frequency calculations. While her classmates in journalism filmed productions and chased stories, she was buried in numbers and began to question whether she had chosen the right path.
“I thought I was missing out. I almost switched to journalism."
Her sister encouraged her to stay, reminding her that being a woman in engineering was something to be proud of. Marion held on and stayed. In a class of 21 students, she was one of only two women. Looking back, she says there was also a quiet motivation “to prove something, that I could do this as a woman."
That decision opened a hands-on career in Kenya's media industry. She joined K24 in 2007 as a junior staff member and, over seven years, rose to technical manager, overseeing radio, television, studios and transmission sites. After a year and a half at Ebru TV, she joined GSMC in late 2016. The young School needed television and radio training facilities as a requirement for accreditation. Marion built them. When regulators arrived in 2017 to assess the Master of Arts in Digital Journalism programme, the studios were ready. Accreditation followed.
In 2023 she completed a Master's in IT Management, strengthening her ability to manage technical and operational systems. Today her role covers technical operations, administration, academic support and teaching Digital Journalism programme. She bridges the gap between students and faculty, ensures learning materials and class recordings are available, and becomes the person students turn to when emails go unanswered, fees fail to reflect, or certificates are delayed.
This year, during the university's convocation, she received an award for student support.
Her engineering experience has also shaped how she speaks to girls about STEM. She mentors high-school girls in her village and creates internship opportunities for young women. “Mathematics is not meant for men," she tells them. “It is meant for human beings."
She is still learning. Earlier this year, Professor Nancy Booker, Dean of GSMC, encouraged her to take coaching training. Marion is now preparing for accreditation by the International Coaching Federation. The process has made her more intentional, at home with her husband and their son, a second-year law student, and at work with the team she manages.
Her journey has taken her from doubting whether she belonged in engineering to helping others navigate their own challenges.
