Yves Iradukunda was raised in a typical rural setting. His humble childhood was a life of uncertainty. Despite all this, he was always among the best pupils in his school and by the time he completed senior six at Junior Seminary Kabgayi. He was top in chemistry and biology class.

But Iradukunda was not sure about his future despite being a bright student. 

"I always worked hard; I was normally among the top three in class and sometimes even at the top of my class,” he says. Luck came knocking on his door in senior six vacation. He was given an opportunity to teach at a nearby school on recommendation of a priest from his school.

Iradukunda had found the job, but there was another hurdle; at that time, the medium of instruction in schools had changed from French to English. Having been taught in French all his school life, he had to switch to English, if he was to do the job.

"The challenge was huge but I took it as an opportunity and started spending many nights translating all my notes to English and practicing how best I would teach my students,” he says.

He was meant to teach entrepreneurship and General Paper but ended up teaching many more subjects. The senior six leaver taught 27 hours a week. To him, making sure students understood and got the most out of class was the main goal and that is what he strived for.

Turning point

In April 2009, the senior six national exams results were released and Iradukunda emerged among the top performers nationwide with 58 points out of the possible 60 points.

"I was so excited! I thanked God and my teachers; it also encouraged my students to work hard,” Iradunkunda recalls before narrating a story that would later see him travel to America to study in one of the best universities on a scholarship. But more intriguing, unlike other people who stay back to live the American dream after enjoying government scholarships, he chose to come back home and contribute to the development of his country.

"A few days later after getting my results, I had an announcement on radio asking the top performers to report at Rwanda Education Board (REB) and apply for scholarships,” he says.

He rushed for the opportunity and was asked to sit for The Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL) exams which he passed and emerged among the top 25. He later sat for oral interviews to choose the best 10 who would enroll at Oklahoma Christian University in USA.

"As I headed back to my place with no electricity in Muhanga, I received a call from Students Financing Agency of Rwanda (SFAR), informing me that I had been chosen among the top 10 to get a scholarship,” he says.

At just 20, the young man from Muhanga was to start a new life in the USA with only two months to get prepared. He was given a scholarship to study electrical engineering.

"Much as it excited me,I was also scared, it was a new country. I took it as a blessing and I knew that I had to come back home eventually and have a positive impact on society,” he says.

Life in the US

While at college, Iradukunda spent the first two years trying to balance a fast life, studies and a little bit of fun. He also made interacting with different people a learning experience.

"The first two years of my studies, cut me off from Rwanda; of course I kept in touch with my family and a few friends. When I started my third year, I started thinking about what I wanted to do with my life after graduation,” he says.

In the summer of that year, Iradukunda started thinking about the positive impact he would have on communities around him and also replicate his effort back home.

In his fourth year, he had already started forging ties with fellow Rwandans in the USA.

"While pursuing further studies abroad, graduates have three options, the first is to apply for another scholarship and go for further studies, the second is to get a work visa for foreigners and take a job offer there and the third is to return home,” he says.

He adds; "For me, working in the USA wasn’t an option even though I was a good performer and had good offers. I did consider going for further studies but the urge to come back home before going for further studies was stronger and so I came back.”

It was at this moment that he hatched the idea to create a platform for student innovation which led to the birth of Emerging Leaders and Entrepreneurs of Rwanda (ELE Rwanda). This was a result of his passion for entrepreneurship and the desire to see homegrown solutions applied to solve Rwanda’s challenges. It was that same passion that made him drop everything he was doing after graduation in 2012 to come back home. He returned home in 2013.

Iradukunda served as the president of Rwandans4Water-OC chapter. He has won the Oklahoma Innovation Prize, and ELE Rwanda was recognised as the platform for youth innovation and entrepreneurship by The Journal Record.

Having come back with a lot of experience from the USA, he felt like he had a role to play in working with Rwandan youth going to study abroad. So he joined Bridge to Rwanda (B2R) as the career development associate where he assists B2R scholars with career guidance, industry insight visits, and placement into meaningful internships or permanent jobs.

"I was fortunate to get this scholarship and make good use of it,” he says. "My role at B2R is to make sure students appreciate the blessing of the scholarship, make good use of it and come back home to put that knowledge to full use.”

Iradukunda also decided to put his passion to use when he started his own tech company Academic Bridge that helps schools manage their information, ranging from administration, students, and staff, among others. Today, the start-up is used in schools in Rwanda and Tanzania and is gaining popularity among schools.

Like Iradukunda, Gaspard Twagirayezu shares a similar story. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a Master’s in engineering management from Oklahoma Christian University. An education enthusiast, he has conducted engineering camps designed to increase interest in engineering among young people in Rwanda and started a club in College of Science and Technology named Makers and this club has won many software and hardware competitions. He has been working at Agahozo Shalom Youth Village where he develops programmes that demystify science and technology to high school going children. A few months back, he was appointed as the Science and Technology Knowledge Transfer Analyst at National Commission of Science and Technology (NCST).

While thousands of bright students get scholarships to study in the best universities abroad, few like Iradukunda and Twagirayezu return back home to use the acquired skills to bridge the skills gap in the country.

So, the question that everyone asks is why do some Rwandan students stay abroad after graduation?

Conrad Nkunsi left Rwanda after getting a scholarship at University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. Having been raised in Rwanda, he dreamed of a future in his hometown, but after getting to Canada, this thought changed.

"I am from a humble background but I got a scholarship. My family lived in a rural area and after my graduation, I came back to Rwanda and I noticed I was out of touch with everyone and everything. I didn’t want to sit home without a job so I opted to go back to Canada where I was sure to find something to do,” he says.

Nkusi is now a technical assistant at an IT training centre but from what he hears from friends, he feels like he would be of more use back home with better pay and challenges at work.

Sheilla Rukundo, an undergraduate in civil engineering at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania says she has a dream to come back home and apply what she has learnt to contribute to the development of her country, but it has to be for a purpose and as any graduate, she will weigh her options.

"Everyone wants to work in a company that develops their career, but also gives them a good and deserving earning. I think Rwanda is now at that point where it can absorb many of us who have gotten skills abroad and the private sector has a huge role to play in this,” she says.

She adds that the local private companies can start by establishing contact with the star students on scholarships in different places and universities and keeping in touch with them.

"These companies can start by providing internships to them because summer holidays are long and if they see value in a student, they should book them and motivate them to return and work with them. It’s a lot to ask but many Rwandan students in the USA are the best in their classes and I think they are an asset,” she notes.

patrick.buchana@newtimes.co.rw

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How can students be encouraged to come back home after studies abroad?

Jean Pierre Harerimana

The majority of students are scared of facing unemployment when they return to their countries after studying. Unemployment is still a big challenge in Rwanda. So in my opinion, I think securing employment opportunities for students when they return can act as motivation.

Anita Mutesi

I think some students have a poor attitude regarding employment back home, especially after studying abroad. Some think that their expertise is more valuable than the money they will be paid back home and this eventually discourages them from coming back. Personally, I believe this is not true, thus students’ representatives in the Diaspora should take the initiative to advocate and sensitise them on job opportunities back home. Negative attitude is the root cause of this issue.

Jean Bosco Nshimiyimana

This is where Ndi Umunyarwanda should come in; students need to know that it is their responsibility as citizens to come back home after studying and use that experience to build their country. Ndi Umunyarwanda with its core values should be taken as the leading initiative to encourage Rwandan students abroad to build their country.

Christine Uwase

Coming back home to work after studying abroad is one way of giving back to the community. Students need to know how their acquired skills and knowledge can be a cornerstone to the country’s development. Every Rwandan student who studied abroad should consider returning home as motivation for others.

Maurice Boshya

The government needs to put forward several campaigns and initiatives promoting this. It eventually will make students see the importance of coming back home to work. Some students don’t see the need to come back home and that is where such campaigns should come in.

Remy Mugabo

Representatives of these students in Diaspora should make it their sworn duty to encourage their fellow Rwandans to return home after school and lay a brick in the development of their country. I believe since students’ representatives know well the lives of others while there, they can pave a way in encouraging them to come back.

Compiled by Dennis Agaba