A Moi University graduate from Ongata Rongai, Kajiado county, has lit up social media after receiving a US student visa to pursue a Master of Science in Operations Management at South Dakota State University. Claire Langat landed a student visa to study in US. Claire Chepkorir Langat, who manages construction projects for a living, spent years quietly holding on to a postgraduate dream that never seemed to find the right door. When did Claire complete her studies at Moi University? After completing a Bachelor of Science in Project Planning and Management at Moi University in 2014, she immediately wanted to pursue a master’s degree, but local universities could not offer a programme that matched where she wanted to take her career. Her father eventually introduced her to the International Scholars Program (ISP), a platform that supports African students seeking to study abroad. Claire approached the opportunity carefully, spending time on the ISP website reading every detail, watching testimonials, and speaking to someone who had already gone through the programme. Satisfied, she committed fully and applied to two institutions, Indiana University of Pennsylvania for project planning and management, and South Dakota State University for operations management. Why did Claire choose South Dakota State? She ultimately chose South Dakota State, drawn by its operational focus and the way it aligned with her construction career ambitions. Funding, which blocks many Kenyan students from even entertaining the idea of studying abroad, was handled through ISP’s lending partnerships. Claire said the process was reassuring rather than stressful, describing the financial support as “very smooth” and noting that students were “almost guaranteed” to have their fees sorted.
The visa interview at the US Embassy in Nairobi was the most nerve-racking stage. Claire arrived early, watched fellow applicants stammer through their answers, and waited her turn. Claire’s interview with visa officer She had spent weeks in mock interview sessions organised by ISP and had practised responses the night before. When her turn came, the visa officer asked her repeatedly about the family she would be leaving behind, apparently gauging how genuine her intention to return was. She answered each time with the same calm honesty, naming her relatives one by one. On the fourth time he asked, the officer typed silently for a moment, then raised his head and said congratulations. Subscribe to watch new videos Claire emotional after winning student visa “I bent down and he thought I was crying,” Claire recalled. “But I told him, ‘I’m not crying. I’m just shocked.’ Because you prayed for it, you’re trusting God that it will come, but still again when it comes, you’re still shocked.” She walked out of the embassy clutching the blue approval slip at such a pace that a security guard stopped her. “Relax, madam. Why are you running?” he told her. The first call she made was to her mother. Her family, gathered on a group call, wept and prayed together. Before departing Kenya, her church Bible study group held a send-off service for her, with prayers and scripture readings filling the room. Claire flew out of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Lufthansa, stopping briefly in Germany before connecting through Chicago to South Dakota, where Kenyan roommates received her and helped her settle in.
