by Alina Rosenkranz |
Living on 24 cents per day, Jean Paul Mugisha focused on his education, in the hopes that it would give him the chance to leave the refugee camp in Rwanda that he’d lived in for 17 years.
Mugisha’s family lived in the refugee camp after leaving their home in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to war. The camp has no electricity and people there live on one meal per day.
“We lived in just a small house made of mud and it’s covered by plastic sheetings. So there is no running water, there is no electricity and it’s really hard there,” Mugisha said. “People are not allowed to work, so they are just there waiting for the 24 cents per day.”
Mugisha is beginning his sophomore year on The Bluff as an electrical engineering major after transferring from Portland Community College.
Despite limited learning conditions in the refugee camp, with school education ending after ninth grade, Mugisha continued to expand his knowledge in math, physics and chemistry with the help of a friend. Mugisha scored 100 percent on the Rwandan final high school exam, but because he is from the Democratic Republic of Congo, he didn’t qualify for a scholarship to go to university in Rwanda.
The nonprofit organization These Numbers Have Faces (TNHF) from Portland helped Mugisha when they heard about his story. The UN chose his family for a resettlement and they moved to Portland about a year ago.
“My goal is to help my community. I’m here in the US and my community is still in the refugee camp where they are suffering,” Mugisha said. “So my first goal is to help them by advocating for them or by doing anything that can help them to get out of the poverty.”
Transitioning to a life in the United States wasn’t easy for Mugisha. He had to take care of his parents and seven siblings because his English was the strongest.
“We had many people that helped us,” Mugisha said. “Like Ryan Hoppes (CEO of Allison USA Engineering Services, where Mugisha had an internship) and his family. And the nonprofit organization. So it was really hard, but people were there to help.”
Mugisha met UP President Fr. Mark Poorman through Hoppes at a party that Poorman hosted. Poorman aided him in getting a full scholarship to attend UP and was excited to welcome him.
“Jean Paul's life story of having lived in Congo and Rwanda during a time of great upheaval and suffering, as well as having recently immigrated to the United States with his family, is an inspiration to us all,” Poorman said. “He will teach us many things about the lessons that come from the experience of suffering, the power of hope and the human spirit of resilience. We're fortunate to have a young man of such intelligence, creativity and faith among us."
One thing that surprised Mugisha when he came to the US is how friendly people here are.
“This is my first time living on campus,” Mugisha said. “And it’s a different culture from mine. But I think people here are really nice and I’m really excited. I’m looking forward to how things will go. It’s a really nice place.”
Last year, Mugisha was set up with an internship at Allion USA Engineering Services in Beaverton, who partners with TNHF, and became close with Hoppes. Their families even spent Halloween together.
“Knowing what he was presented with...a lot of credit goes to Jean Paul as kind of the anchor of that family,” Hoppes said. “It’s just crazy impressive.”
When he’s not doing schoolwork, Mugisha, who lives in Villa Maria Hall, has a passion for soccer and likes to watch the Pilots play. In fact, soccer played a role in his decision to attend UP.
“I heard about UP that it was a great school,” Mugisha said. “And then Ryan Hoppes told me to come here, I think it was last year, for a soccer game. When I got here I really loved the school and Ryan was like, ‘I will help you to get there.’ But I came here for a soccer game, and I loved it.” Alina Rosenkranz is a reporter for The Beacon. She can be reached at rosenkra17@up.edu.
