Ombeni shares excitement for her journey at Kepler College and beyond

5 Min Read

20

Sep

2022

Ombeni Uwingeneye (Source: Kepler College)

My name is Ombeni Uwingeneye, a high school graduate from Liquidnet High School at Agahozo Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) and I come from Karongi district. I first got to know about Kepler College from a friend and high schoolmate called Irankunda Diane, who is a Kepler student. However, I learned more during the college fair at school, where our Career Development Center organized an information session for us to meet with representatives of different colleges and universities to help us understand admission requirements.

At first, I applied and was rejected because I missed some important documents in my file. I was afraid of being rejected again the second time I applied, so I sought advice from Kepler advisors on how to strengthen my application. I was also invited to the Kepler College Open house, where they explained the program in detail, together with our guardians. I was selected for the admission tests in Rubavu, and there were so many candidates. Some did not make it to the oral interview, but I was among the selected. The admission tests were really hard. We also had to use pencils to respond to questions, so we had to be careful not to make mistakes.

I used to think that project management is like being an HR manager or doing sales management in a business setting, but from the Kepler team’s explanation, we learnt that everything is a project and how we manage is important, so we will learn how to manage many things.

Kepler College students during orientation ( Source: Kepler College)

It has been two days of new students’ orientation at Kepler College so far, and we are studying basic knowledge. On day one, I was excited to meet Learning Assistants (LAs) who helped us learn more about Kepler College. The LAs told us about Kepler traits, answered most of our questions and concerns, and encouraged us to be confident. Today we have been introduced to computer basics, and I am excited because I love computers!

I have many goals while here and after Kepler College; one is to open up projects so that my knowledge is utilized and not wasted; the second one is to build a strong connection with fellow classmates and staff so that if I need help, I may consult them easily, number three is to be an expert with computers, starting with mastering how to type. For my personal goals, I will work hard to support my brother, who is in senior six in the 9-year education system. My goal is to help him improve. He is intelligent but has limited resources, so I will help him apply to colleges where he can get a scholarship, maybe even at Kepler College. I also want to help my extended family such as my aunties and cousins, especially when I become rich. Last but not least, I want to be active in the student government or clubs. I used to be the Health and Wellness Minister in my high school, and I liked helping weak students to perform better in academics. A message that I will keep telling myself to be motivated throughout my Kepler College experience is, “Ombeni, you need to be responsible. You need not to forget your background; it must always motivate you and remind you that you need to fill some gaps even though it might be hard.” I will remember that.

A message to Agahozo Shalom Youth Village: They are like family, they helped me to be open-minded, a critical thinker, and to be vigilant about what’s happening around me. It is the support system that opened my eyes and gave me the strength to pursue my future goals.

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