“Akilah has taught me to believe in myself… No one can respect others without first respecting oneself. I have to respect myself and from that I am able to understand how to respect others.”

—Anne Niyomubyeyi, Hospitality Management, Class of 2015

I was born in 1992 and I am the seventh born in a family of nine. Growing up, I lived with my mom because my father left us when I was three years old. This affected all of us, but especially our older brothers and sisters. They spent a lot of energy working for the family and trying to ensure a better life for the youngest among us. They had to assume the role of the father who left us and take on difficult responsibilities in order to help us grow up properly. They stopped their studies because there was no money. Instead they moved all around the country to find jobs and money to assist the youngest with our studies, food, health insurance, clothes, and everything. They stopped their own projects, like building their own houses and getting married, until we grew up. They sacrificed themselves to raise us and keep the family pride among the community.

As a result, we all believe unity is necessary in order to overcome challenges. To achieve constructive goals in life, it is easier to work together on a common purpose than to work alone, and sometimes even against each other’s goals. Different minds can think about one issue and come up with many different solutions. My family applied this positive thinking and unity in order to overcome difficult family circumstances. It is so important for us to be a team, to understand each other, and to support one another.

I started my primary studies in 1998 and finished in 2004. At one point, one of my sisters and two of my brothers had to stay home due to lack of school fees. However, my mother found a way to ensure that we all eventually studied. She did her best to offer what we needed because she wanted to prepare us for a great future. I studied with courage even though I struggled to have all that I needed at school. Courage makes someone overcome challenges in life.

At school, my main goal was to work together with my classmates and have patience, courage, and respect for all. I studied Mathematics, Physics, and Geography. I always thought about my family and that pushed me to study harder. Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to continue schooling after completing secondary school and had to stay at home. I did small jobs and eventually shifted my focus to teaching primary school students.

I heard about Akilah at a neighboring church where Akilah students and staff were advertising Akilah programs. My proudest moment is when I received a phone call that I was accepted to Akilah. I smiled when I heard the good news because I realized that it was possible for me to achieve my goals by continuing my studies at Akilah.

“It is important to build strong relationships with others and give a helping hand to one another in order to achieve a common goal.”

The biggest challenge I have overcome at Akilah is attaining self worth. Being born in a humble family taught me to be satisfied with what I have. But sometimes when I compared my family life to that of others, I felt isolated. I put myself down and it was difficult for me to make friends. I was not proud of myself, but since joining Akilah, I have gained self-esteem. As a student at Akilah, I have learned leadership skills that have helped me to overcome challenges. I have developed a sense of pride that has helped me to interact with others and volunteer my talents when needed.

To me, Akilah represents a parental figure. It has guided me towards achieving my goals. In ten years I want to be a hotel manager after gaining professional experience in Hospitality Management. I view Akilah students as my sisters, both younger and older. Akilah has exposed me to many different opportunities that I would have not come across otherwise. My favorite memory at Akilah was during one of the Social Change Projects, a volunteering component of our program. It was a very nice moment for me because I got a chance to learn from outside of my school. We visited young girls and shared with them how to work on building confidence and creating social change.

I always think about my family and study hard for the purpose. I want to support my mom, sisters, and brothers as much as they did while I was growing up. Now it is my turn. They did their best to develop the family but there still a long way to go. I make sure that it is up to me to work on the uncompleted goals in the family. My brothers and sisters started to build their new families and work on their children’s bright futures, but there are still my young sisters and brothers who need to grow and finish their studies. I am doing Hospitality Management and I hope to have a nice job in a hotel after graduating well, so I will be able to support my family.

Akilah has taught me to believe in myself because no one can respect others without first respecting oneself. I have to respect myself and from that I am able to understand how to respect others. My community needs me. It is important to build strong relationships with others and give a helping hand to one another in order to achieve a common goal. I have learned that confidence is the key to success.

Akilah is still growing and I encourage girls to apply to Akilah. My advice to them is that they be proud of themselves and always strive to do better at Akilah. They will not only get professional skills but also social support. They will gain self-confidence, which is the key to success in their lives.

If you wish to support an Akilah student like Anne, please visit our donate page here.