‘Be Bold, Take Risks’ Says Akilah’s 2017 Valedictorian
Marie Louise is Akilah’s first Information Systems student to graduate as valedictorian.
On November 10, when 110 Akilah students celebrated their graduation with family members, employers, private sector partners, and Akilah staff at Kigali Marriott Hotel, Marie Louise Niyigena led the way as valedictorian for the Class of 2017.
Apart from the honor of having the highest grades in her class, Marie Louise gave the commencement address. In it, she urged her classmates to take advantage of their Akilah education and to take risks and try new things. To try and fail was better than to never try at all, she said.
To follow up on her advice, we had a talk with Marie Louise about academic performance, leadership, and future dreams.
The Tigers of Akilah
“Let us give a round of applause to all the 110 students who are graduating today, for graduating from Akilah is not that easy. We all helped each other do our best, and that is the uniqueness of our precious school. Team spirit. There is one thing about tigers, they always compete, but push one another to reach the highest feat. Because of each other, we are all better. Each one of us has made a solemn promise to be a go-getter,” Marie Louise said with poise and confidence as she addressed the 600-plus crowd.
Maria Louise has experienced the support and healthy competition she described in her speech firsthand. Academic ambition is alive and well within Akilah’s student body, so coming first in her class was a big accomplishment.
“I was very excited and kind of relieved when I found out. We had been debating who it would be, and I knew that I would be among the top performers, so I had been waiting for it to be confirmed,” Marie Louise explained, with equal amounts of humility and pride in her voice.
Technology leading the way
Marie Louise has several reasons to be proud of her title. Not only was this the largest graduating class in Akilah’s history, this was also the first time an Information Systems student claimed the top academic honor.
“Information Systems is a hard program, and it requires a lot of effort. So I was a bit surprised when I found out I had the highest grades across all the programs. But this showed me that I can do what I set my mind to, even when it requires a lot of work.”
Ready for the workforce
From the graduation stage, Marie Louise shared encouraging words about the future that awaits Akilah graduates.
“Dear fellow graduates, I want you to know what a great gift it is to be prepared as we are, because not all schools offer such an advantage. We have had not only a high degree of academic skills but also life skills, and whether you intend to continue your education or not, you will benefit from what you learned here at Akilah,”Marie Louise said from the podium.
As for the future, Marie Louise feels prepared to take her place in Rwanda’s workforce.
“Information systems skills are needed many places. I can join any company — everything revolves around tech today. I have programming skills, and I can adapt to any programming language. I have networking skills, allowing me to make sure any company or organization has good internet quality. I can do hardware assembling and disassembling. I know the basics of how to repair computers. I feel like I’m valued in the market.”
According to Marie Louise, it is not just her technical skills that make her an asset to the workforce. She expects the unique Akilah package of technical, leadership, and communication skills to give her a competitive advantage.
“Even if I stop here and don’t pursue more education, I have enough skills to grow my career. I didn’t just do Information Systems — I have also gained leadership and communication skills. I know how to behave in different situations. I feel like I’m ready to join the workforce.”
Be bold
Marie Louise is ready to take the next steps in her career, and her message to her fellow students on graduation day was clear: Be bold.
“And yes, we face troubles of all kinds, and sometimes we fear to stand up and take action, which is risky. We could fail. It is better to do something and fail while trying to succeed than it is to do nothing and have failure guaranteed. But that will not be a concern since we have all graduated from the Akilah Institute that cultivated in us initiative, drive, grit, and motivation to dream big. So now, even the sky is not the limit.”
We agree. Even the sky is not the limit for Marie Louise and the rest of the Class of 2017.