When it comes to talking about myself, it’s not exactly my strong suit—but hey, why not give it a shot? Here goes nothing. 

Hi, my name is Kefa Karuga, but I go by Mali. I’m originally from Kenya and moved to the Netherlands about four and a half years ago. I’ve settled here after all, I’m not planning on leaving my son behind. He’s turning 3 this December, and being with him is everything to me.

I’ve been doing my best to get fluent in Dutch. I understand it pretty well, and according to some people, my Dutch isn’t too bad for someone who’s only been here for four years.

Okay, let’s dive into data analysis. For me, it’s not just a career or a job, it’s something I’m genuinely passionate about. I’ve always loved technology. Since I was a kid, I’ve been curious about how things work, and I’ve always been eager to learn something new.

Before I officially got into data analysis, I had some background from studying at a technical college back in Kenya. What really pushed me, though, was my experience running a glass business. It suddenly stopped doing well, and I realized I needed to figure out why. That’s when it hit me—I was missing out on a lot of potential sales simply because I didn’t understand the data. That moment pushed me to start studying data analysis, and I haven’t looked back since.

It became something I truly enjoy, even though I’ve also always loved everything about programming. About two years ago, I decided to shake off the rust since I hadn’t worked with data for a while. I’m no guru (yet!), but I believe in myself. I know that with the right grip on the tools, I can work some real magic when it comes to insights and visualization.

Because of the language barrier, I found myself working in logistics honestly, it hurts my brain knowing that if I give up, all the effort I’ve put in could go to waste. I really hope to find a place where I can finally feel useful doing what I love.

I want to unravel the mystery behind data. I thrive on solving problems. While most people see problems and run the other way, I walk straight toward them because it’s through challenges and mistakes that we get to truly learn. Every problem is like a puzzle waiting to be unwrapped, and in the process of solving it, there’s always something valuable to discover. 

One of my favorite parts of data analysis is finding patterns that weren’t obvious at first glance. I actually enjoy cleaning messy data too—it’s kind of like giving something chaotic a fresh start. And don’t even get me started on visualizations… turning raw numbers into something people can actually see and understand? That’s where the magic happens for me. 

Like I mentioned earlier, I’m no guru yet. I still have a lot to learn, and honestly, I never shy away from soaking up new knowledge. For me, it’s all about growing, getting better, and turning what I learn into something real and useful.