Emmy Muhoza

My course study is Mining Engineering. Mining engineering is a field that is growing rapidly in Rwanda yet Rwanda lacks enough local experts in the field. I want to help strengthen Rwanda’s mining sector by sharing the skills and experience that I will get from Penn State University with the rest of the labor force in this field. I will aim to turn my knowledge into real life applicable skills that will transform Rwanda’s mining sector from the traditional mining techniques to industrialized mining techniques. I hope to build on Rwanda’s progress and contribute to Rwanda’s sustainable economic and social development for Rwandans and future generations.

My name is Emmy and I’m from Rwanda and I live in Kigali city, the capital city of Rwanda together with my parents and siblings. My favorite part in Rwanda is the eastern province of Rwanda as I was born there and spent most of my childhood there.

My most memorable moment as a Botstiber Scholar so far, was the service trip we did in North Carolina over spring break 2017. During this service trip, we worked with Vigilant Hope to tackle issues of food insecurity and homelessness. I worked on an urban farm to help grow the food that will be donated to the homeless and the people with hunger issues. I also worked on a food bank, and attended forums on homelessness where I learned about what homelessness is and what we can do to tackle issues of homelessness and food insecurity in our respective communities. After the service trip in North Carolina, I felt like I had a better understanding of what people on the streets are going through, which makes me feel like I am in a better position to help them than I was before this trip.

Through the Botstiber Scholarship, the Botstiber Foundation gave me an opportunity to go to school at one of the best universities in the world, Penn State. Having the Botstiber Scholarship allowed me to be more selective in how I spend my time at Penn State and as a result, I was able to maximize my college experience through volunteering, service-based learning, the PLA, and involvement in various clubs on campus and finally getting the most out of the pursuit for my engineering degree.