Being a student and a full-time athlete can be daunting to balance. For Yvonne Bayija, this came with a lot of benefits; most importantly it led her to self-discovery.

The 26-year-old is a volleyball player for APR women’s volleyball club.

Bayija really got into volleyball at Groupe Scolaire St Aloys Rwamagana, and, not long after, she was part of the team that represented the secondary school in various local and regional competitions.

She started as a right attacker.

"I played throughout secondary school but it was not until I was about to finish that I really became serious about the sport,” she recalls.

Bayija credits her former coach, Eugene Ngendahayo, for playing a big role in shaping her volleyball career.

"He helped me to discover my strengths and reaching my full potential.”

How juggling the two shaped her career

She says when she completed secondary school, she managed to secure a place in APR women volleyball club, noting that this also helped to cater for her tertiary studies with ease.

When she joined IPRC Kigali for her mining engineering major, she recalls, she didn’t know how she would complete her course.

Luckily, Bayija says, her remuneration at APR was enough to take her through her entire programme.

"This is something that motivated me to work hard both in sports and school because it’s where I would get the finance to support my academics and other personal needs,” she adds.

To her, this was not the only benefit that came along with playing and studying: "Juggling the two contributed to the person I am today.”

For instance, being well organized was always a part of Bayija’s life, so balancing volleyball practices and her school work was never a big challenge.

"Playing and at the same time studying improved my critical thinking skills, which opened a new door of opportunities for me.”

Asked about her plans for the future, Bayija says "wherever the path will lead me”, she will follow. Her main goal is to continue improving her game and impress bigger clubs.