Modelled after the “Humans of New York” Facebook page, Hilton College has been highlighting the real stories of students at the school; the series is well-loved and inspiring.
Hilton, South Africa (27 March 2023) – We all remember when Humans of New York started going viral on social media, a photographer would walk the city, interviewing its citizens and sharing their human stories. Inspired by this, Hilton College in KwaZulu-Natal started a series called “Humans of Hilton College” and they are highlighting the stories of students.
The most recent story highlights Kigen Chepkonga who has been boarding at the school, since he was eleven years old. He started his schooling career at the Drakensberg Boys School and moved to Hilton when he was old enough. He shares that boarding school teaches you independence and if you want to be good at school, you only have yourself to push you to do homework and assignments.
He is a dedicated student but was recently diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis but he doesn’t let it get in the way of his passions, which include piano and hockey.
Kigen shares the story of his family and how his parents met. The young man has an inspiring tale. Which we will share in his own words below.
We love that Hilton is giving its students a voice and a chance. While we may all be everyday people, we each have a story worth sharing.
This is Kigen Chepkonga’s, his is number 13 in the series shared by the school.
“Boarding teaches you independence,” Kigen says. “No one’s going to remind you to go to meals or brush your teeth or make your bed or study for that test.
“You have to develop a personal drive and learn communication. If you’re uncomfortable, it’s about learning to tell those around you. You learn problem-solving skills and conflict resolution very fast.”
With both parents in the medical profession – dad is an emergency-care plastic surgeon and mom works for a medical technology company – Kigen says his family values curiosity, kindness and inclusivity.
“My family is interesting in that my dad doesn’t speak Zulu and my mom doesn’t speak Swahili. They speak English to each other and to my older brother and I. In South Africa today, that can be controversial. But my parents look past the barriers of language and nationality to dig deeper into who people are.”
Kigen says that his loved ones are scattered geographically but “tight”, relationally. “Our together times are the best of times. There’s lots of cooking and eating.”
Describing as “eye-opening” his six weeks on exchange at @CharlotteLatinSchool, in North Carolina, Kigen says going to a co-ed day school, where learners wear civvies and drive to school took him out of his comfort zone.
Kigen now wants to study in the USA. “I’d like to become an actuary. I’m very interested in maths and economics; economics is my favourite subject by far…. It doesn’t feel all theoretical and high-minded.
“Living in the most unequal nation in the world, I can’t help but think about how we can use economics to make this country better.”
When a non-profit came to Hilton College to introduce to the boys their programme for homeless people, Kigen says he was moved in his heart before he started to think about this social crisis from an economics point of view.
“The lady from Life Boat told us how she was driving down the road with her husband, when they saw a homeless person on the streets of Pietermaritzburg being obscene in public. Rather than judging, she said, ‘When you have nothing more to lose, that stuff doesn’t matter.’
“Up here, life couldn’t be better. And there is suffering just down the road. I grapple with that. I see economics as the solution to issues such as this.”
Not one to complain, Kigen’s life hasn’t been without its struggles. He suffers from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
Almost all of his hobbies – from rowing to hockey to piano – place strain on his joints.
“It’s not great for fingers, back and hips. But I’m grateful we found it early. I’m hopeful. I’m still young, and it’s just something I have to manage.”
Reflecting on what Hilton College has given him, he says: “I think Hilton College is whatever a boy makes of it. There’s so much to do; so many things to conquer; you can choose your own adventure. It has been excellent for me.”
You can follow the Humans of Hilton College series on Facebook here.
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