Nelly Cheboi
{{Short description|2022 CNN Hero winner}}
{{notability|1=Biographies|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Nelly Cheboi
|image = Nelly Cheboi with her Mom at CNN Heroes Red Carpet.jpg
|caption = Nelly Cheboi with her Mom Christina Cheboi at CNN Heroes 2022 All Star Tribute
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1992|11|26}}
|awards = CNN Hero of Year, Forbes 30 under 30
|alma_mater = Augustana College (Illinois)
|spouse = Tyler Cinnamon (m. 2017)
|other_names = Kosi
|website = {{URL|https://techlitafrica.org}}
|occupation = Founder and CEO of TechLit Africa
|known_for = Winning CNN Hero of The Year 2022
}}
Nelly Cheboi is the founder of TechLit Africa, an organization that teaches digital skills in rural primary schools, and the winner of the 2022 CNN Hero award.{{Cite web |last=Torgan |first=Tricia Escobedo,Allie |date=2022-12-11 |title=Nelly Cheboi, who creates computer labs for Kenyan schoolchildren, is CNN's Hero of the Year |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/11/us/cnn-heroes-all-star-tribute-hero-of-the-year/index.html |access-date=2022-12-29 |website=CNN |language=en}}
Early life
Cheboi grew up in poverty in the rural village of Mogotio in Kenya. She received a full scholarship to study computer science at Augustana College in Illinois in 2012.{{Cite web |title=Nelly Cheboi |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/nelly-cheboi/ |access-date=2022-12-29 |website=Forbes |language=en}}{{Cite web |author=KWQC Staff |title=CNN Hero of the Year: Nelly Cheboi |url=https://www.kwqc.com/2022/12/28/cnn-hero-year-nelly-cheboi/ |access-date=2022-12-29 |website= |language=en}} She graduated in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and computer science.{{Cite web |title=Cheboi '16 is CNN Hero of the Year! {{!}} Augustana College |url=https://www.augustana.edu/about-us/news/cheboi-16-cnn-hero-year |access-date=2022-12-29 |website=www.augustana.edu |language=en}}
Career
Cheboi built a school in Kenya, called Zawadi Yetu, during her junior year of college {{Cite web |date=2022-12-22 |title=CNN Crowns Black Founder Nelly Cheboi As The Hero Of The Year |url=https://peopleofcolorintech.com/articles/cnn-crowns-black-founder-nelly-cheboi-as-the-hero-of-the-year/ |access-date=2022-12-29 |website=POCIT. Telling the stories and thoughts of people of color in tech. |language=en}} In 2018, she started to transport donated computers from the United States to Kenya. In 2019, she founded the nonprofit TechLit Africa with another software engineer, Tyler Cinnamon, after quitting their jobs. The organization, headquartered in Kenya at Zawadi Yetu, teaches 4000 students aged 5–14 basic computer skills and redistributes recycled technology to enable the creation of computer labs in African schools.{{Cite web |title=Nelly Cheboi Teaches Tech Skills to Sustainably Solve Poverty |url=https://www.logitech.com/en-us/mx/nelly-cheboi.html |access-date=2022-12-29 |website=www.logitech.com |language=EN}} As of 2022, they have built 10 computer labs in rural Kenya and have plans for 100 more.{{Cite web |title=Founder of TechLit Africa Is CNN's Hero of the Year |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/founder-of-techlit-africa-is-cnn-s-hero-of-the-year/6872301.html |access-date=2022-12-29 |website=VOA |language=en}}
Recognition
In 2022, Cheboi was named as one of the 30 under 30 on the Forbes list for social impact. In the same year, she was also the recipient of the CNN Hero award.{{Cite web |last=Robi |first=Amos |date=2022-12-12 |title=29-year-old Kenyan tech founder crowned CNN Hero of 2022 |url=https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/leaders/techlit-africa-founder-nelly-cheboi-crowned-cnn-hero-of-the-year/rgjjcds |access-date=2022-12-29 |website=Business Insider Africa |language=en}}