Written by Cate Peterson ’18 | July 12, 2018 | SHARE
When Odilon Niyomugabo ’21 arrived at Lehigh in August to begin his collegiate career, it was the first time he had ever visited the United States.
“I had looked up everything that was there to look up about the United States,” Niyomugabo said. “But it was still good to see it in person.”
Niyomugabo’s journey to Lehigh started three years ago. In November 2015, he graduated from high school in Rwanda, his home country. He then applied, and was accepted to, a competitive program called Bridge2Rwanda.
“What they do is select you and you live together in a hostel for one year in Rwanda. So I went there in March with 39 other kids,” Niyomugabo said. “They prepare you to get academically ready for college, develop you holistically through different classes such as leadership among others and teach you entrepreneurial skills.”
That’s why we are here, to learn how it’s done and then bring that back to Rwanda and the rest of Africa.
His cohort lived there from March 2016 to March 2017. Through the program, they applied to schools and took college entrance exams.
Though Niyomugabo started taking classes in English in high school, he credits the program with helping him prepare his English for college, as well as learning things like citation styles used in American universities.
Niyomugabo said the program is called Bridge2Rwanda because the students come to the United States to get an education, then take that education and use it to improve their home countries.
“But not only that, over here we can create connections, like if I talk with you and you're interested in Rwanda, maybe you go there and do business there, connecting that bridge to Rwanda and to the rest of the world,” Niyomugabo said.
Niyomugabo applied to other schools in the United States, but Lehigh was his first choice. He applied Early Decision II, a process that makes an acceptance binding.
“Like many other students, I was interested in doing engineering, but I didn’t know what school I wanted to go to,” Niyomugabo. “During application time, my counselor recommended Lehigh to me because she knew it was a good engineering school and that would be a great fit with my character. She also said they offer some financial aid to international students. So then I looked it up and fell in love with the school.”
Niyomugabo is currently studying industrial systems engineering, with a minor in business, and hopes to pursue a career in consulting after graduation. In the more distant future, he would like to start his own business.
Though Niyomugabo admits he misses his family and friends, he said he is adjusting well to life at Lehigh, and in the United States. He’s a member of the African Caribbean Culture Club, the Lehigh Diplomats and Lehigh Cru.
“I would say the lifestyle here is easier—things are already established, there is no lack of some stuff,” Niyomugabo said. “Things are straightforward. That’s why we are here, to learn how it’s done and then bring that back to Rwanda and the rest of Africa.”