10 Facts About Friday Mokaya: First Black Woman To Earn A PhD In Nuclear Physics

Dr. Fridah Mokaya, who graduated with a PhD in Nuclear Physics took determination and courage to pursue a science course from her family.

And true to her faith and hard work, it paid her abundantly when she joined a top US varsity

Here are some key facts that will motivate you about the first female black to acquire a PhD in Physics

1. She joined University of Connecticut PhD program as the only black Physics doctoral female (student) in her department
2. In her high school, she missed choosing physics by a small margin of 2% cut off pass. Only her dad’s intervention saw her proceed with her career to date
3. True to her determination and hard work, she got an ‘A’ in Physics when she sat for her final KCSE exams
4. She later joined Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya for a Bachelor of science degree in Physics 
5. But things didn’t go well for Dr. Mokaya when she realized that she had scored only a second-class honors lower division . She briefly worked at Barclays Bank in Kenya before going back to class
6. This is because she never expected to come this low, but she moved on with her career in Physics
7. Dr.Friday Mokaya went ahead and enrolled for a master’s degree (M.Sc. Physics) in the United States at the Binghamton University (SUNY)
8. It quickly followed another intensive class when she joined the PhD Program at the University of Connecticut where she conducted research in the field of Experimental Nuclear and Hadronic Physics.
9. Despite doing her PhD, she also had time to take care of her pregnancy and newborn later.
10. She married her long time boyfriend whom they had met while schooling at Pangani Girls High School