Letter to Younger Self: Missing Med school was the best mistake ever

Every scar has a story. “Letter to My Younger Self” invites you into the reflective hearts of people who've walked winding roads—offering gentle truths, bold lessons, and encouragement for anyone still figuring it out. These weekly letters are full of grace and grit, showing how setbacks shape wisdom and how the past still holds power to teach. From nurturing curiosity to embracing mentorship, each piece is a tribute to growth through lived experience.

Eunice Kilonzo, a storyteller,  pens this week’s heartfelt Letter to My Younger Self.

Dear Younger Self,

Right now, you’re sitting at the Pandya Hospital staff quarters in Mombasa, watching your mum in her nursing uniform and feeling the weight of expectations. You missed the medical school cutoff by a few points. You feel like you failed, but that gap is the greatest stroke of luck you’ll ever have. It is where your real story begins.

You’re going to confidently pick up the pen, your first true love, and it will be harder than you think. At the University of Nairobi and later the Nation Media Group, you’ll discover that no one cares about your grades. Your grit and I-can-do-it energy will guide you.

When you cover the story of Alex Madaga, the man who waited 18 hours in an ambulance to access an ICU bed, it will break your heart. Let it. Your empathy is your investigative edge. You will learn fast enough that your other crucial edge is to have the "thoughts of an expert but the words of a gossip." Ultimately, if a mother in a clinic in Msambweni can't understand the science of how a vaccine works for her child, you have failed her.

You’ll take risks that won't make sense on paper—leaving a senior journalist role to work with researchers at the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) or when you’ll switch gears to start writing about coral reefs at UNEP. You’ll even find yourself doing multimedia storytelling for—you won’t believe it—Safaricom; finally finish your masters (yes, finally!) and then later moving to your dream city, Geneva, for global health communications. Why? Because a storyteller who only knows one topic or one (local) experience limits their worldview.

Keep these truths close:

1.⁠ ⁠Ask the "dumb" questions the veterans are too proud to ask.

2.⁠ ⁠Show up. Always. For yourself and for others.

3.⁠ ⁠Don't drop those French classes at Alliance Française; you’ll need that language sooner than you think.

4.⁠ ⁠⁠Do all the fun but scary things like start a family or even launch a podcast. 

More importantly, go where the story leads you. Stay curious, keep your word, believe in love again and give those "small" opportunities a try. They are never as small as they look.

Your older self,  

Everyone has a story worth sharing. If you’ve ever wished you could talk to your younger self—with wisdom, forgiveness, or clarity—we invite you to write to us. Your real, heartfelt letter might just be the encouragement someone else needs today. You may remain anonymous if preferred, but your truth matters. We don’t pay contributors, but we believe in the power of shared experience. Join us in building a collection of life’s hard-earned lessons and gentle reminders.

Be part of this movement. Send your Letter to My Younger Self to: [email protected]