Designing Her Own Path
“At Gashora, we are all seen as individuals, and they help us all find our strengths and weaknesses and bring forth our true selves. “
-Olga
Graduating from École Camondo and Itecom Art & Design in Paris with her masters degree in Interior Architecture.
My name is Olga Divine Agahozo, and I graduated from Gashora Girls Academy in 2016. I enjoy photography, writing, and reading novels and design magazines. My love for design started at a young age. At eight, I found a book with furniture drawings, and I remember spending hours flipping through it. I believe this is where I developed an eye for aesthetic details. My uncle also has a construction company, and while working on our house, he would bring the drawings, and I was so fascinated by them.
Not knowing at the time that I could have a career in arts, I aspired to be other things, such as a teacher and, later on, a pharmacist, but in my last year at Gashora Girls Academy, I embraced my creative side. The art and fashion club helped me become more comfortable with my creative freedom and see the value in visual art. I learned that my creativity matters and is an actual skill to cultivate. I am fortunate to be part of an educational philosophy centered around exploring one's passions. It gave me the courage to pursue a creative and technical career.
The advisory program was quite impactful because we had moments with an advisor who would counsel and push us to improve. The time with my advisors and the energy at school, surrounded by intelligent girls who dream big, makes us all dream bigger. We are all seen as individuals, and they help us all find our strengths and weaknesses and bring forth our true selves. It is here that I decided to apply for an interior design program at Marist College in Italy.
I have now graduated from Marist College and then moved to Paris, where I received my master's in design from École Camondo and Itecom Art & Design. Living in Italy and Paris were very different academic and social experiences, and the transitions were not easy. I had to digest the newness and feelings of being different and surrounded by people worldwide without the same backgrounds or references. I had to learn and speak other languages and create new friendships. I had to get used to missing my family and friends from home and spending time alone. I had to stay focused on the task that made me leave home in the first place.
Graduation day from Marist College in Italy with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design.
To overcome them, I held on to the good things I was experiencing while abroad. I also learned the skills I learned at Gashora Girls Academy. Their strong emphasis on public speaking and essay writing was invaluable. Gashora taught me the importance of thinking critically and being open to new ways of seeing things. These skills helped me to grow, and growth makes us stronger and more capable of overcoming and learning from any experience in life.
I am currently working on my first freelance project, designing the interiors of a house in Ruyenzi, Rwanda. I love creating something from nothing, the art of transforming, and the potential we see out of the old, the unfinished, and the chaos. I love the exchange between the client bringing their vision to life.
As I look ahead, I desire to inspire people with my design and writing, to encourage girls to trust their inner voice, speak up, and embrace their creativity, to continue to be the changemaker and leader Gashora taught us to be, to inspire others for the betterment of the world. I am so thankful for all of you who helped support Gashora Girls Academy and the hundreds of alumnae like me who discovered their passions and are living their dreams.
