Dreams of becoming an engineer inspired Nyamasheke’s S.6 best female student

NYAMASHEKE —Twenty-year-old Edith Mukarugamba, the girl who emerged the best in the 2010 A-level national examinations in Nyamasheke District, owes her success to her dreams to becoming an IT engineer. She obtained an A in Math, A in Geography and C in Physics. “I badly needed to go to the University. More so, I needed to be an Information Technology Engineer,” she says. Born to a family of 10 children of which seven girls are already married, Mukarugamba saw education as the only way to develop her family. “My parents are poor. After Senior Three, I almost dropped out of school because I lacked scholastic materials,” says Mukarugamba. Teachers at Mukarugamba‘s former school, St. Francois, say her success did not come as a surprise. The school knew her as a disciplined girl who always went for what she wanted. Her mother said: “I had never valued educating a girl. My daughter has paved way for her two younger sisters. I will educate them and expect a lot from them.” Mukarugamba was recently awarded for her good performance by Imbuto Foundation. She was the only female student who received a brand new laptop in both Rusizi and Nyamasheke districts. Mukarugamba intends to join Kigali Institute of Science and Technology for her dream course. She advised girls to try harder and not to give in to negative forces. “It’s upon you to defy all odds and negative attitudes. Success is earned and hard work is the only way to achieve it.”