{{ {“People would ask me if I was a Hutu or Tutsi and I would simply say I was Rwandan.”} }}
These are some facts shared by a Rwandan Student at the University of Utah graduation on Friday where about 700 graduates, their families and friends and members of faculty were attending the ceremony.
Eli Munyankindi, 31, was chosen to deliver the speech on behalf of other graduates because the faculty thought his story and the story of Rwanda in general is inspiring.
Munyankindi got a scholarship from the University of Utah, the department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and today he has his master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology.
Speaking to graduates of this year who were from 50 US states and 77 countries, Munyankindi shared his own story and the story of Rwanda, a country that experienced genocide that claimed the lives of a million people in just three months.
He said “By the time I was 10 years old, I was an orphan. It was just me, my younger brother, and my step mother who did not have any obligation to adopt us. My childhood was over. With only my step mother to raise us without enough income, I knew that I had to take on the responsibilities of an adult.
I knew I had to protect my brother and be a good role-model for him.”
He narrated that during his studies at the University of Utah some People would ask him if I was a Hutu or Tutsi and he would simply say “I was Rwandan.”
“It was not because it would really matter to tell them, but in telling them I was simply Rwandan, I had an opportunity to explain that we chose not to be in artificial groups, but simply one people.” He said in his speech.
Munyankindi is ready to return to Rwanda to contribute to the development of his country.
{{Read Munyankindi’s Speech at the graduation}}
{Good afternoon.
It is a great honor for me to be standing in front of all of you, delivering a speech for graduation. There was a time when I did not know if I would even finish high school, but today here I am getting a master’s degree in speech-language pathology. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to the faculty of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, and especially Dr. Blomgren, the chair of the department, for making this happen.
I was unlucky to be born in a third world country, and worse, a country that experienced genocide that claimed the lives of a million people in just three months. By the time I was 10 years old, I was an orphan. It was just me, my younger brother, and my step mother who did not have any obligation to adopt us. My childhood was over. With only my step mother to raise us without enough income, I knew that I had to take on the responsibilities of an adult.
I knew I had to protect my brother and be a good role-model for him.
However, I was lucky to be born in a country that rose from the ashes to reinvent itself; a country that believes its main resource is its people, and a country that believes the key to development is education. That country is Rwanda. That is why I am here.
I came here not only as a student but also as an unofficial ambassador of Rwanda. On many occasions, I had to tell people that the Rwanda they knew from the past is not the Rwanda of today. People would ask me if I was a Hutu or Tutsi and I would simply say I was Rwandan. It was not because it would really matter to tell them, but in telling them I was simply Rwandan, I had an opportunity to explain that we chose not to be in artificial groups, but simply one people.
I will return to Rwanda as an ambassador of the University of Utah. I will proudly carry the tradition of the College of Health because this is a college where we not only learned health sciences, but we also learned about collaborating, about different cultures, and we made friends from all corners of the country and the planet.
You are not just graduating; you are graduating from an outstanding institution that balances academic rigor with caring and compassion. It was a long road, but you made it! You all know that it would have been difficult, nearly impossible, without effort and guidance from the faculty and support and love from your family and friends. Maybe when they tell you “congratulations,” you should shake their hands, or hug them tight, and say “congratulations to you too; it is OUR achievement!”
You graduated, so now what? Now you will be leaders in society. You are health care providers and health care educators. You are professionals that people will entrust with their health. Do not take this for granted. I know that the College of Health made us work hard, but when we collaborate with other professionals and realize our competence, we will say to ourselves, “that hard work was worth it!” You will have to face challenges, but as Einstein once said, “in the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.”
Let me end this speech by saying, “thank you to the faculty for your effort and guidance. Thank you families and friends for being there for us. And to all the graduates, congratulations!”
Thank you!}
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