I am a proud AUN Alum from Rwanda. I am currently working on my Ph.D. thesis in Chemistry under the sponsorship of the Islamic Development Bank, based in Saudi Arabia.
I was admitted into AUN in 2012 under the scholarship of the Government of Rwanda. As a young student in a foreign land away from home, I was very scared and confused. However, due to the University's outstanding staff and good leadership, AUN provided me with a learning environment that made me feel at home. This increased my confidence and helped me perform well academically and socially from my first year until I graduated in 2016.
In addition to the regular academic activities, AUN helped me to hone my leadership skills through various community development projects and leadership development programs. I was privileged to be among the first set of students who graduated from the AUN Emerging Leaders Academy, where I had the opportunity to learn from great leaders from different parts of the world. So, when I left AUN in 2016, I was fully prepared to face life challenges without fear.
By the grace of God, in 2017 I started my Master's program in Analytical Chemistry, after which I got two scholarships for my Ph.D. program. One of the scholarships was from the World Bank at The World Bank Africa's Center of Excellence for Oilfield Chemical Research, University of Port Harcourt, while the other was from the Islamic Development Bank at the University of Rwanda's College of Science and Technology. I do not doubt that the solid foundation I received from AUN is what propelled me to reach this far. AUN taught me to think outside the box and apply first-class knowledge to solve real-life problems affecting people in our communities, and this is very critical as far as education is concerned.
AUN is arguably one of the most respected universities on the continent, and I am honored and proud to be associated with the American University of Nigeria.
Gervais Manizabayo,
Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Ph.D. Scholar,
University of Rwanda, College of Science and Technology