Hope Mbabazi attends Lafayette College, double majoring in Computer Science and Mathematics. Hope is an ambitious young woman who is working towards balancing the gender ratio in STEM career fields. She has always been passionate about technology, innovation, and leadership. During her free time, Hope enjoys learning new programming languages such as Java, Python, HTML, C++, and forages for practical application where these languages can make an impact on people’s lives. Recently, she won a research grant through Lafayette College which she is using to develop a platform for young environmentalists to showcase their technological ideas. After Hope joined SHE-CAN, she was inspired to start a foundation called A Hand of Simbuka. A Hand of Simbuka aims to inspire children with less access to education to make better choices and encourages them to improve their technical skills.
At Lafayette, Hope is a part of the BEST society, the National Society of Black Engineers, and the International Student Association. She also serves the Lafayette College community as a Skillman Library student supervisor where she enforces both library and campus safety rules and maintains library operational quality and standards. Hope graduated from Lycee Notre Dame de Citeaux with a focus on physics, mathematics, and chemistry. In high school, she held multiple leadership positions, some of which include positions in student government, coordinator of Peace and Love Proclaimers Club, and captain of the volleyball team. While Hope is especially passionate about technology, she is also interested in finance, policymaking, and justice. She is looking forward to fulfilling her goals and furthering the development of Rwanda, her home country.