From high school teacher to deputy Vice Chancellor: Prof Elizabeth Kalunda's story

 The ones who simply talk and dream of success, and the ones who go out there chase their dreams and get stuff done. 

 For Prof Elizabeth Kalunda, she falls in the latter group – a woman who became restless about her job as a high school teacher, dreamt about achieving more out of life, and went ahead to go back to school and rise up the ranks to become a deputy Vice Chancellor of one of Kenya’s premier private universities and the Vice Chairperson of the body that regulates the accountancy profession in Kenya – Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK).

 To understand Kalunda’s journey, you have to go back to her days living in Machakos, teaching home science in a little-known school. 

 During an interview with Citizen Digital’s She Means Business, Kalunda said, “I love teaching, but I felt there was more to life. At first, I thought changing my environment would help, but I realized I also needed to do more with myself.”

 It is this resolve that prompted her to pursue further studies from the Bacherlor of Education she had in Home Science and Technology, and branch out into accounting, adding that she had always loved mathematics and everything to do with numbers.

 Kalunda went ahead to study for her CPA qualifications and then her Master’s degree.

 With her qualifications, she was able to transition to the world of accounting and worked her way up from being a rank-and-file employee, to becoming a highly sought after professional.

 With her passion for teaching, Kalunda then contemplated lecturing, however, it dawned on her that what was once an advanced qualification – an MBA – would be bare minimum and would not suffice to prosper in the world of academia.

 It is that realization that then gave her the impetus to go back to school and pursue her Doctorate, focusing on banking. 

 “I didn’t want to study accounting again and restrict myself, so I went for banking to diversify my skills,” she said.

 Today, Kalunda has seen the fruits of her resilience and is the acting Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations at the United States International University (USIU-Africa).

 She urges women to never give up on their dreams, no matter how ‘stuck’ they might feel.

 “Get a paper and a pen and write down your dreams, no matter how big they look, then set goals and go for them,” Kalunda says.

 Kalunda adds the importance of having a strong support system to flourish, adding that her husband has been supportive, enabling her to balance work and life well.

 “I don’t know whether to call it work-life balance or work-life integration but I have been fortunate to have a supportive husband, who helped me to pursue my studies, and I was able to take care of our children and work.”

 Kalunda advised women to be discerning and careful about whom they decide to settle with as their spouse because it can positively or negatively impact their life.

 On her proudest moment in her professional life, Kalunda points to starting her own asset management firm with a group of friends.

 “A group of friends and I came together to start Lofty Corban and it is one of those things that I am very proud about because doing more than being an employee, becoming and employer and getting to use my knowledge and skills in that field has been rewarding,” she said.

 The organization hit a significant milestone by having Ksh. 1 billion in assets under management this year.

 “It points to the trust people have in us,” she said.

 On her low moments, Kalunda said times when she has trusted people, who turned out not to have her best interests at heart have been disappointing.

 “Sometimes someone you thought would be happy for you is not and you realise that as you grow, your circle of friends becomes smaller. You need to be discerning to know whom to trust with your plans so that you don’t get disappointed,” she said.

 In conclusion, Kalunda says that being happy for other people’s achievements rubs off on you and urges women to go for their goals and not think that success is for other people other than themselves.