Okomboli Ong'ong'a '00.5, born in Busia, on the border between Kenya and Uganda, was raised and educated in various towns in Kenya. In 1997, Okomboli traveled half way around the world to rural Vermont to join the Middlebury Feb Class of 2000. During his time at Middlebury, Okomboli was involved in a wide range of activities. He served as Co-Chair of Ross Commons and as a Junior Counselor in Milliken, was elected Vice President of the Student Government Association, served as Co-Chair of the College's Community Council, worked as a student computer consultant, and hosted a regular show on WRMC. Okomboli was also a member of the Rugby Team First XV, the International Students Organization, and The Symposium on Sub-Saharan Africa. And though he modeled for the College Store at one time, Okomboli has not made further steps towards the runway since graduation.
An economics major and computer science minor, Okomboli was awarded the 2001 prize for best thesis in economics for his work; "Social Reciprocity – An Experimental Investigation." Part of this research was subsequently published in the Journal of Evolutionary Economics in an article that Okomboli co-authored with his thesis advisors, Professors Jeffrey Carpenter and Peter Matthews.
In his junior year Okomboli, who was by then a permanent resident of the United States, enlisted in the United States Army Reserve. After returning from basic training that summer, Okomboli joined with Ted Adler 1999 to launch MiddKid.com, which later grew to become the successful Burlington-based design firm Union Street Media. The hugely popular – if not controversial – "CourseGuides" were Okomboli's brainchild.
After graduating from Middlebury, Okomboli moved to Tampa for warmer weather and gainful employment with John Hancock Financial Services. But in March 2003 Okomboli's career plans were put on hold when his Army Reserve unit was mobilized for Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Shortly after mobilization, Okomboli was deployed to Kuwait, where he spent 16 months and 25 days coordinating the logistical operations of a Military Police unit. Okomboli's reserve unit's missions included Customs and Border Crossing inspections and Convoy Escort (security) missions from Kuwait to points as far north as Tikrit, Iraq.
In late August 2004, Okomboli returned to the US – a thrice-extended Veteran of Foreign Wars – just in time to join Stanford University's Graduate School of Business MBA class of 2006, to which he had applied from a laptop in the desert. At the Stanford GSB, Okomboli is focusing on entrepreneurship, global management and strategy.
Despite having moved to warmer places, Okomboli's ties to Middlebury have remained. Okomboli returned to campus, most recently, for the Feb Celebration, and expects to return again this June for his fifth reunion.