Didn’t Wait for Victory. Fought for It.
In the one-hour drive to my college
destination, sometimes my goals seemed too far-fetched. At times like these all
my life, I thought about the social change I wanted to create; I knew my effort
would be worthwhile.
Three years ago, I graduated with a
bachelor's degree in Business Information and Communication Technology. This
moment was especially exciting because of the challenges I have overcome in all
the steps of my learning journey, starting at the age of 4.
At the time, I was living in a
refugee camp after my family was forced to leave our home in Rwanda. I left
home every morning when my brother and sister went to school. I would spend the
morning looking at the entire refugee camp looking for pieces of news. At the
end of the day, I shared my story with my sister, and instead she told me what
she had learned in school. I could not bear the challenges my
high school friends faced: They were beaten almost every afternoon because they
would lose the cups they had to carry to get porridge at school.
I knew I had to persuade my parents
to let me skip kindergarten and go straight to elementary school. They thought
I was too young to go to school; most children did not start until they were 7
years old. The only way I could persuade my parents was to pass a school test
and prove that I could start first grade at age 4. When
I passed the exam and was admitted to the school, it was the first time I remembered
to celebrate victory! I got up and was the first in the class. I continued my
high school education and obtained a government scholarship to study at my
local university.
In college, my vision for the future
began to shape. I learned that I was not the best at communicating with each
other, but I excelled at other ways of communicating. I knew that knowledge is
power, and I realized that I could use the power of knowledge to save lives. I
decided to switch to Technical College - a six-hour walk.
At the time, I had no moral support
or financial support to make this change, and I was not sure how I would handle
the time to go to my new school. But I persevered and graduated from college of
my choice with a higher diploma in Information Technology. I chose
to continue my education at a different private university - and this time I
had an even stronger view. I am part of a generation that followed the genocide
in Rwanda. Our generation had a nation that would rebuild. I have seen friends
unprepared for the psychological aspects of raising a child, and I am now a
zealous advocate for parental support in raising the next generation.
Ever since I was a young girl
wandering in our refugee camp, I have been a messenger. I always brought a
harvest to my family friends, or wedding invitations to my siblings, or any
other message that needed to be delivered. I realized that I could be a global
ambassador: I would use ICT to improve the lives of mothers and children.
My university experience not only
sharpened my vision, but also taught me an important lesson - that the path to
success is not as straightforward as we think. At
this new private university, I had to go to classes during the day, in the
evenings and on weekends to get my degree in two years. In addition to my
academic commitment, my program coordinator represented me.
He would never stop harassing me. He arranged
for me to take three tests at a time. He refused to mark my exam papers for the
subjects he was teaching. When I switched to physical education, he told me
that I would never graduate unless he left that school. I had to present my
final project to other faculty members without his knowledge after canceling my
three-day presentation date. I did not understand where to change and what to
do.
When I went to pick up my graduation
dress, I discovered that my name had been removed from the graduation list.
Throughout the year, I had everything I needed to complete my graduation
without the instruction of that one person who could put my name on the graduation
list. No one could hire me without the required documentation, but I did not
quit. I used this time to introduce Cosmos Magazine, an online and online
magazine that provides information on maternal and child health for young women
and Rwandan mothers. And when I finally got on the graduation list, it was a victory,
not only for me, but also for the other students who would benefit from my
battle. I almost forgot all the struggles I went through when I saw myself
highlighted prominently on the school website celebrating my success.
I am glad I did not give up. I was
eventually rewarded for my hard work and dedication. The magazine I started
when I was struggling to find a job has grown and expanded into the Cosmos
Multimedia Center. We have recently developed an app for health care for
pregnant women who send out alerts related to their pregnancy and who can
connect them to emergency care and home-based health care services.
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