What Our Information Systems Students Say About Studying Tech at Akilah
Akilah prides itself on a one-computer-per-student ratio during class. Many other institutions in the region require groups of students to share a computer.
Studying Information Systems at Akilah provides our students with hands-on skills and knowledge in all aspects of technology — from networking and hardware maintenance to programming and web development.
Students learn the industry standards in hardware and software so they enter the workplace with in-demand skills. They have access to internationally accredited courses, such as those offered by Cisco, a leading provider of networking technology. They can practice and develop their skills in five computer labs on campus and on a personal computer during classes. Akilah students graduate with a competitive edge in the tech industry in Rwanda and East Africa.
Three of our Information Systems students share how they use their skills in everyday work and their aspirations to be female frontrunners in the tech field.
Diane Mahoro created a website to help Rwandan artists sell their work internationally.
Diane Mahoro, Class of 2017
I really enjoy programming, especially web development. I have been developing a lot of different websites; some as part of academic projects in school, others as my own projects. I develop websites for fun but also to see if I can turn them into businesses. I have realized that I’m good at it, and people are happy with the sites I build for them. I want to keep improving, mostly in programming and web development.
I’ve realized that in this world, everything is programming. My phone, the elevator at work — they all work because of programming. I found that I can change the world through programming. I can help people and communities through technology — for instance by making their work faster.
I’ve realized that in this world, everything is programming. My phone, the elevator at work — they all work because of programming. I found that I can change the world through programming.
To give you an example, I am currently developing a website selling artwork for local Rwandan artists. Artists in Rwanda have a lot of potential customers outside the country, but it’s hard for them to reach those customers in traditional ways. With the website I’m making for them, they can sell their products much easier and faster.
Information Systems was still a very new program when I started at Akilah, and we didn’t have very many students in the program. I kept thinking, ‘Why aren’t more women doing IT?’ People would say that IT is for boys, and I shouldn’t get into it. I wanted to show that I can do it, even if it’s something not many girls were doing. It’s not as hard as people think. I went ahead and did it, and I’m achieving good things.
The Cisco curriculum, which is part of our studies, has given me a lot of skills in networking. Using our computers, we need to be connected. Now, when people come to me to ask for help to connect to the internet or to fix their network access, it is easy for me to help them. The other day, someone asked me to help her with her computer because she couldn’t get the network to work. I had to download some drivers and connect it to the internet. Now it’s working again. That’s because of what I learned from my Cisco networking course at Akilah.
Parfaite Wirira didn’t have a Gmail or Facebook account when she decided to study Information Systems. Now she uses technology to solve community problems.
Parfaite Wirira, Class of 2018
I chose to study Information Systems at Akilah because when I was young, in primary and secondary school, I was nervous around computers and scared to do math and physics. Even my parents were not motivating me to pursue it; they said I wasn’t equipped for it. It annoyed me that nobody was encouraging me to get into technology. So, I thought, ‘What can I do to make people believe I can do this? Let me study technology.’ I didn’t even have Gmail or Facebook accounts at the time. I decided to open my mind, go ahead, and change myself through technology.
“I didn’t even have Gmail or Facebook accounts at the time. I decided to open my mind, go ahead, and change myself through technology.”
I enjoy systems analysis. It deals with identifying a problem, analyzing it, and finding a solution using technology. Whenever I have a problem, I shouldn’t ask someone else to solve it. I can use my tech skills and solve it myself. I can also use it to help my community. You can’t get these ideas on your own — you get inputs from you community. You ask about their problems, collect ideas, and create solutions based on their inputs. And then you use technology to make it happen.
As a young woman, Akilah has changed me a lot. I have this drive to learn things that people don’t believe girls can do. Even if it’s hard, studying tech, you need to be patient. If you create a website, maybe it fails, maybe the code is not working. You need to be resilient. I have that resilience in me to keep going even if I fail. I can do this. It’s all about being passionate about what you are studying and you will succeed.
Going forward, I’ll gain skills that are needed in any industry I end up joining — technology skills are needed everywhere. Information Systems is all about dealing with computers and the people using the computers. We deal with users, software, and hardware. We can’t solve problems if there are no people to solve them for. The skills I get from studying Information Systems will help me to understand these systems better and pave the way in my career.
Sandrine Sangwa developed an app to help people with speech and hearing impairments communicate.
Sandrine Sangwa, Class of 2017
As an Information Systems student at Akilah, I’m good at troubleshooting. I know how to assemble and disassemble computers. I make mobile applications in Android — I have actually developed my own app to help people with speech and hearing impairments communicate. I have qualifications in web development, and I can develop any website I want.
I really enjoy networking. I used to not know anything about networking — the math behind how our computers work, how we buy bundles for our phones. I’ve learned a lot about the technology behind these things; how it really works and the networks supporting it. I have learned that from our Cisco curriculum, which is part of Information Systems at Akilah.
The skills we get are very useful when you want to develop your own apps and when researching already-existing applications. It makes the internet much more open to us. You can see if others are working on the same idea that you are and find a way to make something different.
When I was in high school, I was very interested in computer science. I was that person who always wanted to work on the computer. I started thinking, ‘If we can use computers to type and calculate different numbers, what else can we use them for?’ It motivated me to join STEM to learn much more about what we can create through technology.
I feel proud to have the skills and knowledge that I got from the Cisco course. What I know is the same as someone in the U.S. or Europe would know. We do not feel limited by where we are or what we have access to. Even if we live in Rwanda, we have the same skills as anyone else studying this field.