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When Kagenza Rumongi ’18 first glimpsed Calvin’s motto—“My heart I offer to you, Lord, promptly and sincerely”—something stirred within him. At the end of his campus tour, he submitted his application. 

Originally from Rwanda, Rumongi carries deep gratitude for the named scholarships that made his Calvin education possible. Though the experience took him and his wife far from home, it also brought them closer to fulfilling a shared dream. 

Rumongi’s Calvin experience is unique: his best college memories happened alongside his daughter, who, as a toddler, loved watching cars race along the beltline from the heights of Calvin’s Crossing. In his classes, he often felt like an “elder brother” who had the privilege of sharing his life experiences with younger classmates—something that influenced his career in youth leadership development. 

Mentoring a New Generation of Leaders 

Rumongi now serves as a governance mission curator at the African Leadership University’s Kigali campus, mentoring aspiring politicians and policymakers over a three-year period. 

“Salvation was my greatest second chance at life,” says Rumongi, who committed his life to Christ as a young man. He calls his faith a “compass,” a guide as he works with students searching for their own futures. 

ALU’s motto—“Do hard things”—captures its mission to equip the next generation to address what Rumongi calls “the wicked problems of Africa,” challenges rooted in a colonial era that left the continent struggling socially, politically, and economically. “Africa produced highly educated individuals, but we’re not seeing solutions coming out of this educated class,” he says. 

Learning on a Mission

Rumongi and his colleagues are on a mission to make education more accessible to Africa’s youth. ALU students, many of whom receive scholarships, represent over 40 nationalities, including refugees from places like the Congo and Sudan. 

At ALU, students choose both a major and a mission—a problem they believe they can meaningfully address with their education. “Young people are so optimistic, even those who come from difficult places,” Rumongi says. “They are ready to tackle the big problems, and I love their energy and zeal. What I try to do is help them narrow down their mission to something practical they can accomplish in their own communities.” 

A Young Rwandan Diplomat

Rumongi’s early career as a practitioner in government policy provided the experience he now draws on. After graduating from Calvin, he served as a communications officer at the Permanent Mission of Rwanda to the United Nations in New York City, where he covered the UN Third Committee on social, humanitarian, and cultural issues among other portfolios. 

“Every country of the world was represented,” Rumongi recalls. “There were brilliant people everywhere I turned. It was a beautiful time to use what I had studied at Calvin.” 

Although he loved the work, the pace of life was demanding. After three years, he resigned and returned to Rwanda. “My wife had stayed home with our two children for almost six years,” Rumongi says. “The time was right for her to do something else.” 

Family First

Back home, Rumongi centers his life on four pillars: faith, family, leadership, and education. He measures success by his family’s well-being. “In contexts where governments and schools operate amid competing priorities and constrained resources, the family becomes the primary space for a child’s flourishing—the smallest unit through which God’s Kingdom is lived out,” Rumongi says. 

In 2021, he and his wife, Lilian, founded an early learning center, Butterfly Academy, with the mission to create a joyful, nurturing environment where children can develop holistically. Originally founded to address a community need the couple recognized during the pandemic, the center continues to thrive. 

To serve families well, Lilian is completing a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy at Wheaton College in Illinois. Together, they view their life’s work as a shared calling to leave their beloved Rwanda a better, stronger nation. 

“I was created an African for a reason. I want to make my contribution within the spheres where God has called me,” Rumongi says. “I won’t fix everything, but through my unique calling I can leave a lasting impact.”