Your Investment In Girls is Shining
“This journey, from my home to Gashora to Middlebury, has been made possible by people who believe in the power of girls' education. To the teachers and administrators who saw potential in us before we saw it in ourselves, and to the supporters like you who chose to invest in our dreams – THANK YOU. YOUR belief has not only changed my life, but the lives of countless others.”
Reflections by Ineza Mizero Ines Kevine
Meet Ineza Mizero Ines Kevine, GGAST Class of 2023. She is currently studying at Middlebury College.
My name is Ineza Mizero Ines Kevine. Writing this feels a little like standing at a crossroads between past and future, between the girl I was when I first arrived at Gashora Girls Academy and the woman I am becoming at Middlebury College.
When I think of Gashora, I think of possibility. I think of a place that takes girls from different corners of Rwanda, shy, curious, sometimes uncertain, and helps them discover who they are and how much potential they have. For me, Gashora was the first place I learned that I could dream. But those dreams are not luxuries; they are responsibilities.
I still remember walking through the school gates for the first time, feeling both nervous and excited. I came from a small community where opportunities for girls were a distant prospect, and ambition could feel too heavy to carry alone.
But at Gashora, I wasn’t alone anymore. I was surrounded by girls who dreamt just as fiercely, girls who stayed up solving math problems, preparing for debates and robotics competitions, and daring to imagine themselves as engineers, doctors, leaders, scientists, and dreamers.
That environment changed me. It taught me to believe that my curiosity mattered, that tinkering with a LEGO robotic car, coding, or building something from scratch wasn’t strange; it was purpose.
Gashora graduation 2023!
And today, at Middlebury College, that purpose continues to guide me. I am studying Computer Science, building projects, exploring engineering, and exploring how technology can be used to create an equitable world.
What I’m building now:
A virtual tour experience that bridges Middlebury College and the world — using virtual reality to help international students who cannot visit in person.
A driving-safety device in my Embedded Systems class — alerting drivers when a vehicle approaches from the opposite direction on narrow, winding roads, especially in hilly countries like Rwanda.
These projects, along with others I’ve taken on, all stem from one lesson: I dared to take the first step because Gashora taught me it’s okay to do so.
Summer Internship
This past summer, I interned at Akagera Medicines. They are a biotech company that develops nanoparticle formulations for antibacterial drugs and mRNA vaccines, which became an education in curiosity, confidence, and purpose. Diving into the company’s business model drew me into the numbers and strategy behind each decision, pushing me to use my analytical skills in new ways and appreciate the business side of innovation. The most transformative moment was proposing and ultimately leading Akagera’s participation as an exhibitor at the Rwanda Convention 2025. Seeing Rwandans light up as they learned about the work being done for their country was unforgettable.
This past June, Gashora Girls Academy celebrated our 1,066th graduate. I imagine these 1,066 graduates as lights. Each light carries warmth and courage wherever it goes. Some lights shine in classrooms, others in hospitals, research labs, startups, governments, and communities that are slowly being transformed by the confidence Gashora instilled in us.
🕯️Those lights don’t fade. Each new graduate carries a spark from the ones before her. Together, we are lighting a path for the next 1,000 girls, who will light the way for 1,000 more, and more to come.
This journey, from my home to Gashora to Middlebury, has been made possible by people who believe in the power of girls' education. To the teachers and administrators who saw potential in us before we saw it in ourselves, and to the supporters like you who chose to invest in our dreams – THANK YOU.
⭐YOUR belief has not only changed my life, but the lives of countless others.
As we look to the next 1,000 graduates, may we remember this: every light matters. Every girl matters. And when we light one, we light the world.
