By Sarah Rivera Rios
Sarah Rivera Rios. Photo by Payton Stephens.
Three siblings from Kigali, Rwanda, decided to continue their paths together as they are completing their undergraduate degree at the same time.
Despite the age difference, Ines Ingabire, Jean Bosco Dusengimana and Luc Nsabindora came together to United States in 2015 to further their education.
“We [Dusengimana and Nsabindora] came as freshmen in high school back in October of 2015,” said Dusengimana. “After completing our four years in high school, our school had connection with Bluffton University. I am not sure how, but we figure there was going to be a higher opportunity for financial assistance.”
The siblings attended a small Quaker boarding school in Barnesville, Ohio, where they got to build close relationships with teachers and students.
“At first it was a little challenging,” said Dusengimana. “It was not the same high school experience most of the students have because it was very inclusive, and everybody knew each other. It wasn’t a bad thing, but it’s very different than how Bluffton works.”
Ingabire started her undergraduate career a year before her siblings, as she is the oldest out of the three.
“I just wanted to be with my family,” said Dusengimana. “Ines was already here [Bluffton] as well, and I knew living with my brother was going to be easier for us to adapt.”
Dusengimana and Nsabindora managed to graduate high school together, despite not being in the same grade.
“He is a very smart kid,” said Nsabindora. “He had to take an exam, and they said he was ready to start as a freshman and skip one year.”
Although coming to a different country was a big transition for the siblings, it was not their first experience leaving home behind.
“It was very normal for me when I left Rwanda,” said Ingabire. “I started boarding school when I was 12. No phones were allowed and [we had] very limited visitation.”
Dusengimana and Nsabindora felt different feelings than Ingabire after arriving to the United States.
“At first it was pretty hard,” said Nsabindora. “Our mom came to drop us off, and then when she went back she was crying, which made us cry.”
Ingabire has been a pioneer in her family, as she was the first to go to boarding school and to enroll in an American university.
Although they were raised by a businesswoman, their paths took a turn when they joined the STEM field at Bluffton University.
“As kids, my mother used to take us to work,” said Dusengimana. “I enjoyed what she did, and I helped her with the accounting side of it. She never forced us, but she saw I enjoy doing it, so she let me do it.”
A common question the siblings get ask is why they have different last names if they share the same mom and dad?
“I didn’t know how uncommon it was until we got here [the United States],” said Dusengimana. “In Rwanda, your parents have the ability to choose your first and last name, so for us it wasn’t any different than from other families.”
Even though the siblings have spent most of their lives living together, their paths are about to split as graduation is approaching.
In life, the siblings have different goals they want to achieve. Dusengimana plans to go to medical school, while Nsabindora plans to complete a radiology and surgical tech program, and Ingabire plans to continue her upper education in aviation.
They hope to live close to each other if the opportunity is given.
