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David Tabaruka

David Tabaruka '10
Hometown: Kigali, Rwanda
Major: International Business
Speaks six languages, and plans to join the IMF to help people in need

While the road to college is never easy for anyone, few students have experienced the incredible challenges that David Tabaruka has overcome throughout his journey to Champlain College.


His travels began in 1994, when he and his family fled the Rwandan genocide seeking safety in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo. For six agonizing months, David and seven family members walked over 3,500 miles east to west across the country, eventually ending up in Brazzaville, Congo.

After seven years, David and his family were given refugee status in the United States and sent to Winooski, Vermont. Although a new life in America would seem like a dream come true, the hardships didn't end there.

"The transition to America was not easy," says David. "We didn't know any English, and the culture shock was tremendous."

Simple routines like going to the supermarket were completely alien to David. "It was so different. In Africa, you go to different stalls at the market to get what you need. I had never seen a supermarket before. We had to learn to live all over again."

But David had boundless hope for himself and his family, and he worked hard to adapt to his new life in Vermont. He learned English, rode his bike to work everyday, saved money, and began taking classes at a local community college. "I knew I had to keep working hard and not give up, no matter what," he says.

David Tabaruka

He eventually earned a New American Scholarship to Champlain College, where he is currently studying international business. David is also working as a volunteer interpreter for the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program in Burlington, helping new refugee families make a smooth transition to their new lives in America.

His experiences have been instrumental in helping change the resettlement process for new refugees, and his advocacy work with local schools has helped improve the understanding of resettlement from a refugee's perspective.

David's dedication to help others will continue through the summer. He recently traveled to Washington D.C. on behalf of the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program to give a speech to government officials about his experiences adapting to American schools and cultures.

After graduation David plans to work for the International Monetary Fund, where he hopes to make a difference by lending money to poor countries. Despite all the challenges he has faced in his life thus far, he looks forward to overcoming more in the future.

"I love challenges," he says. "If there were no challenges, life would be boring."

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