Meet the Students: Elyse

“I have changed to be a better person and with Akilah’s empowerment, I hope to be a future leader.”

—Elyse Igihozo, Hospitality Management, Class of 2016

I am Elyse Igihozo and I am 20 years old. I am born in a family of seven, four sisters and three brothers. I never got to know my father because he died during the genocide, when I was a baby, and now we live with our mother. I like to spend time with my friends and family. I am a sociable and patient girl who likes to solve other people’s problems. In my free time I like to read novels and watch movies. I completed my secondary education, where I studied mathematics, economics and computer science and learned to be very hardworking.

In several years, I want to be the best student Akilah has ever had.

I joined Akilah this year and I am pursuing a diploma in Hospitality Management. I am proud to be at Akilah because it is a place that trains women to make them future leaders in the community. I have learned to be self-confident, my English has improved, and Akilah has helped me learn to work in groups. I have also learned to be responsible and respect others. I have changed to be a better person and with Akilah’s empowerment, I hope to be a future leader. And in several years, I want to be the best student Akilah has ever had. I want to be a businesswoman so that I can improve the living standard of my family.

Failure is not the end but the beginning of a new success.

I have learned in my life that things don’t just happen unless they are made to happen. I encourage young women to keep working hard even when they fail. Failure is not the end but the beginning of a new success.

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