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K24 TV Arena 254 show host, SHARON KATE NG’ANG’A’s warm and bubbly personality while on air is contagious. Her petite frame is clad in simple jeans and a stylish top exuding soft charm and confidence. She is also an online influencer, mentor and commercial model. NAILANTEI NORARI finds out what really makes her tick

Sharon Ng’ang’a has been the host for Arena 254, an entertainment show on K24 for close to three years now.

She says this is a dream come true for her and proof that your dreams will come true if you put in the work and consistently move towards your dreams.

“TV presenting is a passion and dream that I had since I was eight years old. You know one of those things you know you were born to do? Yes, and somehow God aligned every opportunity to get me here,” she enthuses with a ready smile.

Sharon always had an idea of where she wanted to be and spent much of her time in primary and secondary school nurturing her multiple talents.

She joined artistic clubs such drama clubs, choir chorale, debate and dance groups at a very young age where she learnt confidence and good diction, which she says, have helped her become the great orator she is today.

She also recognises the pivotal role her parents played by allowing her to explore her different areas of interest.

Down to earth

“My parents always gave me opportunities to explore myself and my talents. They may not have had much in means, but they had plenty of love and advice that helped nurture and mold me into the person that I am today,” the Precious Blood High School alumnus recaps.

Sharon manages to remain down to earth and relatable despite having worked in the entertainment industry for quite a while.

Her experience spans several media stations including WTV, formerly TVC Kenya and Ebru TV.

She credits God and family as the main forces that ground her and keep her on course. 

“I believe in the fact that God has a grand plan in everybody’s life. So I do everything to the best of my ability, confident in that fact.

I set goals once a year and strive to achieve them in line with the purpose that I feel God created me for. 

“My family reminds me why and where I started. They pick me up when things get tough and cheer me on when things are good,” she says.

Sharon is passionate about issues that impact and affect the youth and is a fierce advocate for youth empowerment. 

She speaks openly about the importance of mental wellbeing and as a result won the 2016 Young Rockstar Award from the Segal Family Foundation.

She also volunteered as a teacher at Moonlight School and Dagoretti Rehabilitation Centre immediately after completing secondary school and taught English to further impact on the younger generation. 

And in 2016, she was nominated as a Blaze Be Your Own Boss (BYOB) mentor in 2016, while still in campus. She was the youngest of the BYOB mentors. 

She explains why youth mentorship is important to her; “Scholarships enabled me to get through my education.

My sponsor in secondary school was Akili Dada, an international award-winning leadership incubator nurturing a generation of young African women from underprivileged backgrounds whose commitment to the underserved will transform their communities.

Akili Dada played a vital role in building me into the woman and leader I am today. 

“This is why I take every opportunity I get to give back to the youth and guide them as I too, was similarly molded,” she explains. 

Live by mantra

Sharon reads widely and believes in learning something new every day and putting herself in opportunities and places that will stretch her intellectually.

“I live by the best advice that I have ever gotten in a book, ‘Opportunity favours the bold.

If someone offers you an opportunity and you are not sure how to do it, accept it and learn on the job’,” the University of Nairobi Economics and Statistics graduate quotes self-made billionaire Richard Branson.

She is also a passionate entrepreneur, who founded and is the director of New Book Media Limited, an innovation space focusing on the Information and Communication sector. 

Her annual projects include 2016 Girls Have Dreams Campaign, an entrepreneurial networking mentorship forum and movement created to spark economic, social and personal empowerment for the girl child through candid conversations.

What would she tell those who look up to her? “If something excites you, register for classes or surround yourself with people in that field. Get a mentor. 

“No one has it all figured out, everyone is trying to figure things out, don’t be fooled by appearances.

Work on yourself and your craft and when the time is right, everything will align,” Sharon concludes.