Skip to main content
Valontia on InstagramInstagram
An illustration depicting the U.N. flag and a jetliner superimposed over an African savannah landscape.
Feature Story

Coming Home with a Purpose:
My Journey Through the UN Young Professionals Programme

Sitting on the plane from the U.S. to Kenya, I remember thinking, okay, this is real now. 

 For months, I had been going through applications, assessments, interviews, and uncertainty. Now I was finally on my way to Kenya, not for a holiday or a short visit, but to begin a fellowship with the United Nations. 

It was exciting. It was also a little scary.

 Working for the United Nations had always been something I wanted to do. I admired the people I saw working there and the impact they were able to have, but I never really imagined that I would be one of them.