A mentor is someone who allows you to see potential and restore the hope inside yourself. That is what led Gerardo Gonzalez Gomez, an instructional specialist in the Dual Language Department, and Isaac Nkurunziza, once his student, to collaborate in an organization that is making an impact on many lives.
Nkurunziza, who was in Gonzalez Gomez’s ESL class at Bryan Adams High School Leadership Academy, is studying to become a mechanical engineer, but he is not your typical college student. At 23-years-old, he launched the Dream Nziza Foundation, whose mission is dedicated to empower children living in rural areas of Rwanda by helping them improve their English skills and ensuring they have access to important educational materials and uniforms they need to succeed. The foundation also makes sure children are nourished.
For a week this summer, a team of seven educators, which included Gonzalez Gomez, spent time teaching English at a small school in the village of Kanzenze, Rwanda.
“Beyond the classroom, we made a lasting impact through the foundation by providing the students with new uniforms, essential school supplies, and daily meals to support them throughout the upcoming school year,” said Gonzalez Gomez. “The experience was deeply gratifying and profoundly humbling.”
He added he was taken aback the moment he first stepped into the classroom where he would be teaching.
“The heat was intense, a wasp nest clung to the ceiling, and the desks were old and worn and made from rough wood,” he said. “It was a stark contrast to the classrooms we’re used to in the United States.”
But as soon as he began teaching, all those concerns faded away. The students’ bright smiles and eagerness to learn drew him in completely, he said.
“This made me forget everything else as I immersed myself in the joy of teaching and connecting with them,” he said.
He was also moved by how the community took care of the teachers. Families would send the educators messages on WhatsApp asking if they had eaten or if they needed anything.
Gonzalez Gomez remembers when a young Nkurunziza first arrived in the district from Rwanda in 2017 and spoke no English. He said he has seen him grow into a determined scholar who is passionate about making a positive impact in the community.
As he learned more about the Dream Nziza’s Foundation’s goals and mission, Gonzalez Gomez felt more inspired to get involved.
“For me as an educator, it’s part of my nature to support others and make a difference in our communities,” he said.
“Mr. Gonzalez, he’s my hero,” Nkurunziza said.
He credits Gonzalez Gomez with sparking in him the confidence to follow the direction of his dreams, including starting his foundation.
“You feel so good when you help others,” Nkurunziza said.
He visited Rwanda in 2023 and funded the medical bills for 130 people. He said he was able to do this by working hard and using the money he made in his internship to pay for the medical bills of those in need.
“But the idea came after I got back from Rwanda, and I decided that I really wanted to show Mr. Gonzalez and my other friends here in America how my country has transformed from being the genocide country where horrors happened 30 years ago to where it is now,” Nkurunziza said.
Now, Rwanda is one of the safest countries in Africa, and he said he wanted his friends to learn from Africa but also teach from Africa.
Gonzalez Gomez called it a life-changing experience. He said one of his favorite memories is when the students read the story called “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.” The students built small windmills as a way to fully engage in the reading, he said.
Another memorable moment was when Nkurunziza invited his whole team and parents to join in the distribution of uniforms.
“It was the first time that I would say that all the students have worn uniforms, and their smiles were just radiating. Their families were just so grateful,” Gonzalez Gomez said.
Nkurunziza said that when he first set out planning the trip to Africa and recruiting the volunteer teachers, he didn’t know how much they were going to impact the community in Rwanda.
He saw a shift in the mindset of the parents. He saw the parents using their resources to buy a notebook for their children, rather than spending it on something else.
“What surprised me is how much the parents are now dedicated to their sons and daughters reaching their education goals,” he said.
Nkurunziza and his team were able to help 300 students.
The team is already planning to return to Rwanda with a group of educators next summer and continue to build a legacy as the program continues growing.
“If there’s anything that I’ve learned is that there’s going to come a time where I will not be on the face of this earth, but my memories, the people that I’ve restored hope in will have been worth the effort,” he said. “When you restore hope in a person, it’s priceless for me.”
To watch a video of some of the highlights of the Rwanda trip, visit here.
