05/26/2026
For many years, I lived without a permanent address or a true place to call home. Today, when I look around Medicine Hat, I feel that I have finally found one.
I am originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo. When I was very young, political instability forced my family to leave our home and move to Rwanda. I spent more than 26 years living as a refugee in a refugee camp.
Life in the camp was not easy. Food was limited. Sanitation was limited. Privacy was limited. Even going to school required determination because many students did not have enough support, basic needs, or school materials. But I believed education could open doors. After graduating from high school, I attended university through an online learning partnership that brought education to refugees in Rwanda.
In 2018, I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Communications with a focus on Business from Southern New Hampshire University. After graduating, I became a Refugee College Guidance Counselor. I supported refugee students as they explored higher-education opportunities, prepared for university, and worked through the many barriers that often stand between displaced students and their dreams. That work showed me how much one person’s support can change the direction of someone’s life.
While working in refugee education, I earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Studies. I also co-founded the Tertiary Refugee Student Network, which connects refugee graduates around the world. This gave me the opportunity to visit universities in Africa and Europe, and to speak at the Global Refugee Forum and UNESCO’s World Higher Education Conference about refugee access to higher education. I was advocating for global change, but personally, I was still searching for stability, belonging, and a place to call home.
My family’s life changed completely when we were resettled to Canada as government-assisted refugees. I arrived in Lethbridge with my six siblings and both of my parents. It was a beautiful and overwhelming milestone for our family.
A few years ago, I moved to Medicine Hat, where I now work as a Local Immigration Partnership Coordinator. My work is focused on building a welcoming and inclusive community. I work with partners, institutions, and community members to help create a place where newcomers and long-time residents can feel connected, respected, and supported.
I am deeply grateful to Canada for the opportunity of resettlement, and for the rights and opportunities that my family and I were not always able to access as refugees, including the right to work, access to quality education, and the chance to build a future with dignity.
Medicine Hat is more than the place where I work. After many years of feeling displaced, this city has given me a true sense of belonging. I am grateful for the friends, colleagues, and community connections I have found here. Medicine Hat has given me a place to belong, to contribute, and to continue growing.
I am proud to be part of this community, and proud to help make it a home for others, too.
* This is a What Matters to Hatters Coalition initiative. Follow us to learn more. Want to be featured here? Visit www.whatmatterstohatters.com and search for Humans of Medicine Hat to submit your story or nominate someone.
