Two Rwandan Scholars in the U.S. Seek to Broaden Opportunities for Other African Students

Gabriel Muhire Gihana, a native of Rwanda, is a Ph.D. student in cell biology at Indiana University in Bloomington. He realizes that he would not be where he is today without the help of others. So he is setting about to help other African students gain educational opportunities in the United States.

Gihana and fellow Rwandan Vincent Mwumvaneza, who were classmates during their undergraduate years at California Baptist University in Riverside, are developing the African STEM Network or AFRISNET, an online resource that will provide resources, information, and assistant to African students seeking educational opportunities or internships in the United States.

Gihana explains that “African college students lack information; many simply don’t know these programs exist. They lack exposure. Those who apply and can do all the tests are not prepared because they haven’t been exposed to research. We decided to come up with a solution that would provide information and exposure.

“We want to use the website to create a STEM community,” Gihana added. “People can register, network and write blogs. But a big part of the website will be a page with detailed guides on writing application documents and other information.”

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