My mother didn’t have a formal education and could not write and read. We eventually taught her the basics. My father had an elementary education, and this made him one of the few educated in his extended family.

My parents wanted their children to get an education. Since my first grade, I had good grades, and I wanted to be a nurse. I was overjoyed when I was accepted in one of the nursing schools at 14 years old. After six years I graduated with honors, making my family and my teachers proud. Unfortunately my nursing career was short lived. It is now part of my life before the genocide.

When I landed in Dover, New Hampshire in 1996, I was hopeful. I looked forward to moving on, start anew, and provide a better life to my children. I had an education, and work experience. In fact 1994, I was the head nurse at the Obstetrics and Gynecological unit at the University Hospital in Butare.

Yet when I started looking for employment, I learned that my nursing credentials were not useful to me. I did not have any transcripts and there was not even a chance to take a test for a license. I could not even get a nurse’s aid job. So I took a nurse’s aid training to get a job while I figured out the next step. I had two choices, do something different or go back to school and retake the nursing training all over.

After considering my options, I decided on a new career in accounting. I enrolled in a college and luckily, I found that not only I was good at it, but also I enjoyed balancing numbers and getting behind them to understand the stories they tell. Additionally, a business degree was less taxing emotionally and gave me flexible working hours I needed to take care of my family.