Below you will find our scholar blog posts – they cover a variety of topics, from arriving in the U.S. to interning with a stellar company to post-graduation dreams.
| What was your reaction when Bennington College accepted Sharon?I was overwhelmed, proud, grateful and fully freaking out. I was speechless, shaking and in shock.My husband and I were in the process of relocating from the San Francisco Bay Area to NY. It was March 21, 2012 and I was actually in New York City, on the roof of an apt building during our search for a new home. I checked my email and Nicholas (Bennington’s international admissions director) had emailed me and Barb letting us know that Sharon had been accepted with a full scholarship. We had to keep it |
| This summer, scholar Peninah was invited to join a group of young leaders from the US, Canada, and Australia in an interactive human rights learning and action program. The agenda included site visits with the US State Department and international NGOs working on conflict resolution and development.After various site visits, Peninah put together a report (below) on current struggles faced by refugees in Rwanda:“A place to call home” says most of the refugees when questioned on what they want, but what is home to these families? 15 years as a refugee breaks even the most hopeful man of all. A |
| We are proud to announce that all 8 OAD Scholars that applied this year received full scholarships from prestigious colleges and universities in the U.S.! We cannot thank our mentors and sponsor enough for making the dreams of all of these young, bright women come true.Featured from left to right: Chartine Iraguha – Bucknell UniversityNicole Mugeni – Arizona State UniversityYvonne Musiime – Harvard CollegeJocelyn Mizero– Lafayette CollegeBonnette Ishimwe – Whitman CollegeSandrine Uwisanze – Muhlenberg CollegeGrace Mutavu – Smith CollegeOn the far right is Susan Mbabazi,our Kigali Program Director.Peninah Ingabire also just received notice of her acceptance to Muhlenberg College for the Class of 2019! We are excited to see the change agents that these women will become in the coming years. |
| I didn’t know how much I loved my Rwanda until it was time to leave. I am in a far distant place, but I hold Rwanda close to my heart. From the beginning of my applications to colleges in the U.S., I knew that after getting the knowledge and the degree I wanted, it will all be about developing myself and my lovely country. However, that desire was not that strong until I came to know how I love my country. That was the day I departed from Rwanda to come to the U.S. I learned a new thing about |
| My name is Sharon Batamuriza, and I am majoring in International Relations and Human Rights at Bennington College in Vermont. My college experience is worth more than words can say. Bennington is a small school, but it has a good, strong community. When I began my first term as an international student, it was kind of hard to communicate since I was in a new environment; I didn’t know what was accurate to say, and what was not. Honestly, it seemed overwhelming. However, after one month, I began getting used to the school; all the students and the professors were |