Tufts Blogs

Growing up, I never imagined that I would attend college at all. I had other plans for my future, and college, especially college abroad, was never something that interested me. My dream was always to become the greatest person I could be for my community and my country. That dream has not changed, but the path toward it certainly has. Everything began one summer when a group of Tufts students visited my high school in Rwanda. Their visit sparked something in me and made me consider, for the first time, the possibility of applying to college.

I grew up in a community where many of the people we admired most were soldiers who had fought for the liberation of Rwanda and helped rebuild the country after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Their courage, sacrifice, and commitment to service inspired me from a young age. Because of that, I came to believe that military service was the primary way to serve my country. In many ways, I had closed my eyes to other forms of service and leadership.

I attended Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, a school where students from difficult backgrounds are taught resilience, healing, and hope for the future. Like other students there, I carried stories that shaped who I was and who I wanted to become. I often wrote those stories in my diary, reflecting on my experiences, dreams, and aspirations. When Camille, a member of the Tufts Class of 2026, read one of those stories, she became convinced that I could succeed in college. She spent countless hours encouraging me, supporting me, and helping me revise my essays. Seeing a young person from the United States invest so much time and energy in my future was transformative. Through Camille, I caught my first glimpse of what the Tufts community was all about: people genuinely caring about one another's growth and success.

When I finally arrived at Tufts, the reality exceeded my expectations. Although it is thousands of miles away from my home Rwanda, Tufts feels like home in many ways. The Tufts community is just a living masterpiece; a collection of thoughtful, talented, compassionate, and vibrant individuals from all corners of the world. It was this sense of community that first drew me to Tufts, and it continues to be the reason I am proud to call it home. In every corner of the campus, I have found people who challenge me, support me, and inspire me to grow.

My classes have pushed me to think critically about how I can contribute to my community, my country, and the world. I especially appreciate Tufts' commitment to civic engagement and its global perspective. Through my education, I have gained and am still gaining knowledge, experiences, and ways of understanding the world that I could never have imagined before. More importantly, I have learned that service takes many forms. It can happen in a classroom, a laboratory, a community organization, a government office, or anywhere people dedicate themselves to improving the lives of others.

One day, I will return home to Rwanda carrying far more than a degree. I will bring back the knowledge, global perspective, friendships, and experiences that Tufts has given me. Those are the tools that will help me continue pursuing the dream I have always had: serving my community and my country. Tufts did not change that dream. It simply gave me the space to think more deeply about it and explore different paths toward achieving it. At its core, it remains the same dream: the national matter.