Introduction

My name, is Isabelle Umugwaneza, legally known in the US as Nyombayire I Umugwaneza. Long story short, my real first name, Isabelle, was taken as my middle and vice versa, and for immigration purposes, I had to keep it that way. Now everytime professors have to roll call on the first day, I cannot help but be entertained by the confused look on their face when they come across a first and last name that are equally hard to pronounce. Aside from that, I am from Rwanda, the last of six children, all girls. I had the opportunity to study from the US since 9th grade, and found my way to Manhattanville from a small boarding school in Massachusetts. I hope to go back to Rwanda, with a broader perspective of the world, so that I can make a positive contribution to its development That is in part, the reason I chose to take this class, as I feel one can always gain from learning another ¨side of the story¨.