Maryanne Ndung’u ’26: Empowering Entrepreneurship Around the World

Maryanne Ndung’u ’26 is an Economics-Mathematics double major from Nairobi, Kenya. During her time at Whitman College, Maryanne explored how economics can be used to address real-world challenges. By applying what she learned in class, she made an impact on campus and in communities close to home. After graduation, she’ll continue that work as a 2026 Watson Fellow.

Maryanne’s Whitman Highlights:

• Student representative on the President’s Budget Advisory Committee
• Outreach intern for the Whitman Outdoor Program
• Student intern for the Office of Admission

As her senior project, Maryanne developed a budget-constrained model for hurricane preparedness decisions for small businesses in the Caribbean and collaborated with a business in Jamaica to apply the model in practice. Through this work, she discovered that she can use her degree to create a real impact and pursue work that is both analytical and deeply meaningful.

Through a Davis Projects for Peace grant, Maryanne launched the Jua Financial Empowerment Initiative, a financial literacy program for women in Kenya. This experience showed her that access to financial knowledge can build confidence, strengthen decision-making and change people’s lives.

What’s next? Maryanne received the prestigious Thomas J. Watson Fellowship and will spend the next year traveling across Africa learning how different funding models shape entrepreneurship and community impact. Through conversations with entrepreneurs and grassroots organizations, she hopes to better understand how businesses can stay financially sustainable while still serving their communities.

See more highlights from Maryanne’s Whitman journey.