This archive report was first published on 6 November 2019.
On June 14, 2019, Norah Borus Chelagat, a 24-year-old Kenyan student at Stanford University, was found dead in her dorm room. The cause of her death was not immediately released.
According to the Santa Clara Medical Examiner's Office, Norah died of suicide by poisoning. The office released the cause of death last week.
Norah, who joined Stanford in 2014, was pursuing a degree in engineering at the time of her death. She was a master's student in computer science and was interested in artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Before her death, Norah had been running a coding camp in Kenya, where she spent many of her breaks. She was also a standout student, having been the best girl in Nairobi County in the 2013 KCSE exams.
Her family last spoke with her on June 7, 2019, which was her 24th birthday. They had a typical video call, joking, singing, and wishing her well for upcoming exams.
Tragically, this would be the last time they spoke with her. Norah was laid to rest on June 29, 2019, at her father's farm in Ray Farm, Moiben constituency, in a ceremony attended by several dignitaries.
