By Sangwa Yvan

Below is the text of the valedictory speech I gave at my graduation. I wanted to submit it to Bwira News in the hope it may inspire others to to learn something and/or keep the courage to pursue their passions and never give up.

Home. There is truly no place like home.

I was just 12 years old when my family and I left home and never returned. That day, we left behind the only home I had ever known, and there was no looking back. Violence was tearing my home country apart, and no place felt safe anymore. Not even our own home. At that time, I didn’t know I could ever call any other place home. These past five years have proven me wrong.

I don’t know when exactly in these past years I finally realized ASYV was home. But at some point, I stopped thinking of the Village as my school, and started calling it home. Now, as I reflect, I realize ASYV became home not just because it was a place I felt safe again, but also because in the safety, love, and healing it offered, I started dreaming again.

From the day our family was uprooted from its home to the day I felt at home in the village, I had stopped dreaming and believing. I had lost confidence in myself and in humanity. I had stopped thriving and was surviving. Truly, I was not living. Studying was difficult because I didn’t see the point of it all in the world of pain, struggle, and hopelessness I was living in.

My prayer at the time—and my mother’s prayer—was for our life and hope to be restored. 

I stand before you today, as a testament that ASYV has done that for me, and this is not my story alone. I share this journey of transformation and restoration with every single graduate, student, and alumni here today.

Thinking back to four years ago, when we first entered ASYV’s gates, and now, as we graduate, feels a bit overwhelming. But the hope and belief that we have overcomes any doubts. Our hope is not misinformed. It is not naive. It is a belief instilled in us from our first days here, when we learnt that to transform ourselves and build lives of dignity, we must first believe in ourselves—and trust that ASYV believes in us, too. We are not helpless. We are resilient, determined, and full of courage. For those who don't know, Ishyaka means courage and determination, and it is that spirit of determination that has brought us to this amazing day. 

All of us here today come from different homes, backgrounds, and life stories, but together with our Mamas, big siblings, and cousins, we have cultivated a family. I am grateful that I was never alone in my growth—instead, encouraged to grow together with one another. The success of one person is never the success of that person alone. In the future, when we think of our time, we will remember when they told us “if you can see far, you’ll go far” pointing to Lake Mugesera in the distance. Then they also told us we were walking there for our grade picnic under the scorching sun. Many of us might have groaned at the idea at first, but once we started walking, once our DJ’s got us dancing, and once we started taking pictures on our boat tour, the fun and bonding became something we will never forget as a grade. In those moments, we realized that the meaning of the phrase “if you see far, you will go far,” is not only talking about our success in our future careers, but it is also referring to our success in building authentic, lasting relationships with the people around us.

These kinds of moments are truly unforgettable, but I would also be remiss not to highlight the perhaps more routine, but equally important moments that shaped our transformation at ASYV. The moments that forged in us the lessons, skills, and values that we carry out into the world. Whether it be spirited grade meetings, Village Time practices, club meetings, family times, EP’s, combination seminars, Tikkun Olam projects, or any of the other activities that kept us so busy, they all shaped us, taught us, and gave us opportunities to grow. 

All these moments have one thing in common. They made Ishyaka grade love to be with each other more than anything else…and that is the thing I personally will miss the most: being with you all. 

We all share parents, mentors, tontons, tantines, grandes sœurs, grands frères, Mamas and cousins who we could not be here today without. We’re so grateful to our mom Anne Heyman who is watching over us from above, our dad JC, and all our educators, from our teachers, chefs, trainers, nurses, farmers, psycho-social workers, maintenance and grounds staff, doctors, coaches, EY coordinator, and to anyone else I missed who encouraged us each day. I would also like to thank the recruitment team, led by Tonton Aloys, that traveled for weeks and months to find us and make us children of the Village.

To our donors and board who generously love us even if they have not yet met us, we are grateful for making this dream a reality. The kindness and love you have all provided us with to grow will extend beyond ASYV.

I would like to now address our family and guardians here today as well as our Kinyarwanda-speaking educators:

Bavyeyi namwe barezi bacu dukunda, mutahumbije amaso kugira tube turi aho turi uyu munsi, nta majambo ahari yosigura ingene tubashimira. Mbere na mbere, iyi tsinzi nimwe tuyikesha—Igihe cose mwaduhangayikira mubitewe n’urukundo, mukadusengera, mukatuba hafi, vyaduhaye inkomezi. Uyu munsi Imana iduteye iteka; twiteguye kurikoresha mu kwagura impano z’ubuzima mwabivye muri twe, mu kuba umuco w’isi twishimikiza indangagaciro nziza muvyo dukora vyose kandi duha agaciro tunazirikana kwitanga gukomeye mwagize mu kuturera. Ibi biduha kubizeza ko ejo hacu twese nahazaza ari heza. 

Murwego rwabo mpagarariye, hejuru ya vyose, turashimira Imana cane cane bivuye k’umutima ku bw’igihugu ciza yaduhaye no ku bwanyu kubwo kutubera umugisha. Nosaba urunganwe gwanje munyemerere ntituze twibagire amaboko yatwakiriye turushe. Tuze duhore twitura abandi iyo neza twagiriwe kandi tudatoranije. 

I also want to express gratitude for this beautiful country. Rwanda has touched the lives of everyone here in a unique way. It has been a home to all of us, for some their entire lives, and for others only for a short time. Rwanda has a culture of love, vibrancy, and peace that each person carries with them both while they are here and once they leave the country. It is now our time to bring even more good to a good country and even more compassion to a complex world by bringing peace and hope where there is none. 

Dear class of 2023 and fellow graduands, I would like to congratulate you and conclude with lessons I have learned throughout my time at ASYV. Lessons that might resonate with you and that you might use at some point in your life. First, always be grateful to the people that supported you in life. They could have used their time and effort to do other things. Secondly, be humble. Humility will attract everyone to you and take you to places you never thought you would go to. Lastly, embrace your history even though it’s a bad one. Use it as a motivation to accomplish your good missions in life. If you apply these lessons, you will indeed go far.

Thank You!