Byiringiro, Rene

FY, RD, 9/1/2024, 06/30/2003

CEEB: CAID: 35850834
FERPA: Waived

Submitted: 01/06/2024

Profile
Personal information
Name Byiringiro, Rene
Share different name No
Birthdate 06/30/2003

Contact details
Email, Phone renebyiringiro05@gmail.com, +250.789213942, Mobile, No other
telephone
Permanent address KN 232 St Kigali, 00000, RWA

Demographics
Gender Identity Male
Sex Male
Pronouns He/Him
Military status None

Language
Rwanda, Kinyarwanda First Language, Speak, Read, Write, Spoken at Home
English Speak, Read, Write, Spoken at Home
French Speak, Read, Write
Kirundi Speak, Read, Write

Geography and nationality

Citizenship status Citizen of non-U.S. country
Birthplace Kigali, Rwanda 0 years US
Other citizenships Rwanda
Current US Visa None
CA Byiringiro, Rene CEEB: 9/1/2024 1 FY RD CAID: 35850834
Intended US Visa F-1 Student

Common App fee waiver

Fee waiver requested Yes, Signed: Rene Byiringiro

CA Byiringiro, Rene CEEB: 9/1/2024 2 FY RD CAID: 35850834

Family
Household
Parents Widowed
Home Parent 1

Parent 1
Mother
Name Jeanne Uwineza
Email, Phone +250.783721618, Mobile
Occupation Farmer or rancher, Self-Employed
Education Graduated from high/secondary school (or equivalent)

Parent 2
Father
Name Faustin Nkusi
Deceased 10/2011
Occupation Military service (career)
Education Graduated from college/university
Bachelors (1998), Kigali Institute Of Technology, Kigali, Kigali, Rwanda

Siblings
Thierry Ntwari, Age 22

CA Byiringiro, Rene CEEB: 9/1/2024 3 FY RD CAID: 35850834

Education
Current or most recent secondary school
Liquidnet Family High School At Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, Colline Nawe,
Rwamagana, Rwanda, Independent (01/2019 - 07/2023)
Boarding school Yes: Living at school
Progression Did or will take gap year
Graduation Date 07/2023

Colleges & universities

Grades
Rank na / 124
GPA 3.52 / 4, Unweighted

Current or most recent year courses

Full year
HIST - History - (AP)
OTH/ELE - Economics - (AP)
ENVSCI - Geography - (AP)
OTH/ELE - Entrepreneurship and Leadership - (ADV)
OTH/ELE - General Studies and Communication Skills - (ADV)
ENG - English - (REG)
MATH - Subsidiary Mathematics - (REG)
OTH/ELE - Kinyarwanda - (REG)

Honors
Awarded Capstone State/Regional, 11
Project Winner National
|Umuganda Hackathon
Training 2021

CA Byiringiro, Rene CEEB: 9/1/2024 4 FY RD CAID: 35850834

Awarded Minister of School 11
Clubs and Initiatives
|Student Government
2022
The Regional Men State/Regional, 12
Basketball 2023 National
Tourney MVP
Recognized Best School, 11
Delegate in the 2023 State/Regional
Grand Regional Model
UN Caucuse
2nd Runner-Up in State/Regional, 9, 11
National Swimming National
Competition

Future plans
Undecided, Undecided

CA Byiringiro, Rene CEEB: 9/1/2024 5 FY RD CAID: 35850834

Testing
Duolingo English Test
Taken
Planned 08/2023

Leaving Exams
History A 07/2023, Actual, NESA Rwanda
Economics A 07/2023, Actual, NESA Rwanda
Geography A 07/2023, Actual, NESA Rwanda
Entrepreneurship & C 07/2023, Actual, NESA Rwanda
Leadership
General Studies& S 07/2023, Actual, NESA Rwanda
Communication

CA Byiringiro, Rene CEEB: 9/1/2024 6 FY RD CAID: 35850834

Activities
Student Govt./Politics
11 Minister Of Clubs And Initiatives, ASYV student government
School Initiated anti-drug initiative; formed a link merging ASYV clubs, Gashora
8 hr/wk, 34 wk/yr Girls Academy & ASYV alumni; tutored students in english
Continue

Other Club/Activity
11, 12 Presidential Assistant , ASYV Critical Thinking For Peace (CTP)
School Initialized school MUN (Model United Nation) conferences; Led 2022
4 hr/wk, 34 wk/yr school symposium on inflation; organized 1994 genocide
Continue commemoration events

Community Service (Volunteer)

10, 11, 12 President , Nyakabanda Youth Volunteers
Break Coordinated youth volunteer's shifts; ensured Nyakabanda residents
8 hr/wk, 8 wk/yr complied with covid-19 restrictions; managed to help reduce the Covid-
Continue 19 cases

Research
11, 12 Served as Vice President., ASYV Research And Development Club
School Directed more than 50 members on projects development and
4 hr/wk, 32 wk/yr application of digital technology on the roadmap of achieving their
Continue goals.

Community Service (Volunteer)

11, 12 Founder and president , Imbere Heza Initiative
Break Promoted club in higher education forum; paid 30 students’ school fees
5 hr/wk, 5 wk/yr and school supplies for 5 students; constructed a house for genocide
Continue victim.

Academic

CA Byiringiro, Rene CEEB: 9/1/2024 7 FY RD CAID: 35850834

10, 11, 12 Founder, English For Impact Initiative
School Taught 30 students english ; prepared essay writing competitions;
8 hr/wk, 32 wk/yr organized school-club meetings; adopted and taught 2 drug addicts
Continue public speaking

Other Club/Activity
9, 10, 11, 12 Coordinated club campaigns for gender equality, RWAMREC (Gender
School Equality Initiative)
4 hr/wk, 32 wk/yr Coordinated campaigns for gender equality; organized the gender
Continue equality promotion essay competitions; organized club meetings and
events

Music: Instrumental
11, 12 Presidential Assistant , ASYV Recording Studio & ASYV Live Band
School Linked local music producers and school artists; assisted in lyric
6 hr/wk, 32 wk/yr composition; arranged ASYV live band's rehearsals; recruited & trained
Continue new members.

Other Club/Activity
11, 12 Supreme Advisor, He For She
School Coordinated club decision-making process; introduced gender equality
3 hr/wk, 32 wk/yr campaign; organized weekly club activities like essay writing
Continue competitions, etc.

Athletics: Club
11, 12 Basketball, Team Captain, ASYV basketball team
School The Regional Men's Basketball 2023 Tourney MVP coordinated the
10 hr/wk, 32 wk/yr team practices. won fourth place in national-level inter-school
Continue competitions

CA Byiringiro, Rene CEEB: 9/1/2024 8 FY RD CAID: 35850834

Writing
Personal essay
Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that
responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

I was ten when my father died from kidney failure and cardiovascular diseases. My mom could not
begin to grasp her life as a widow. With their sweet life together finished, her smiling face became
wrinkles and a permanent frown. As the eldest, I felt deep sadness but also her rejection. Mom
could wipe my tears but not stop them or her own. She retreated into a painful silence of
depression, resulting in a trauma driven, coma-like state in a hospital bed. Without her love and
support, I wandered the streets.

I visited her in the hospital at night. Only the screaming crickets accompanied me as I looked
helplessly at her cold, rigid body. When the air conditioning made my skin and throat prickle I
returned home, and lied to my young siblings saying she was in good health and was planning a
surprise gift for us. The moment they went to bed I cried, remembering it was a month since she
last opened her eyes. Her laughter, hugs, and us holding hands vibrated in my mind. My best friend
for life was now also gone. I stopped going to school; instead, I was forced to beg or work at
construction sites carrying bricks and sand for a dollar a day to feed my hungry siblings and afford
my dying mother’s medicines.

A week later, my math teacher Mrs. Jeanne came to my home to see why I was missing classes.
She found me at the construction site, making bricks. She called me over and when I ran over I
saw she was crying. I hugged her and cried as well. She didn’t make me return to school, but she
continued to come, and sometimes we could go to visit my mom at the hospital together. She
would also visit home with food and fun stories for my siblings. I felt love and cared for again.

It was early dawn. I was on the rooftop of a construction site when I heard my name called.

I looked down and saw Mom with Teacher Jeanne. She had woken! Her smile grew as I climbed
down to her for a hug, stumbling the whole way with excitement. She held my cheeks, looked into
my eyes and said, “You’re my husband’s replacement, my beloved son.” Hearing those comforting
words reminded me of the love that I owed and continue to owe Mrs. Jeanne. She undertook the
burden of providing me tutoring sessions to make up for all the classes I had missed. Despite her
help I was still lost in class when I returned, nodding along without a clue as to what the teacher
was talking about. But it didn’t matter, I was happy again, and with time I improved.

I became a good student and received a scholarship to The Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village
(ASYV), a school that acts as a family, recruiting vulnerable orphans and building back their hearts

CA Byiringiro, Rene CEEB: 9/1/2024 9 FY RD CAID: 35850834

through the Jewish principle of “Tikkun Halev”. It is at ASYV that I rewrote my story.

At ASYV, I was given another family and set of core values. I was given another mom, brothers,
sisters, father figures and even a foreign cousin to learn English with. I took my new skills and
values back home, initiating an English program for street kids, some of whom I already knew and
others who were strangers. During vacations, we would gather at my home to practice English and
have fun. For me, it was a way to prevent them from falling into the dangers of drugs and alcohol
abuse many suffered from in my neighborhood. I shared my story with them, the agonies I’ve
encountered, but also the lessons and blessings of kindness and healing I’ve learnt and received
from Mrs Jeanne and the ASYV community. I am now at comfort and committed to spreading the
impacts of kindness and healing myself.

Additional information
When I turned 14, I had a crush on a girl called Nancy. I was too young to fall in love, but Nancy
was beautiful and lovely. She had a good taste in music but sadly, I could barely sing or play an
instrument. By the time I knew her, she was in love with Marius, who was 16 years old. Marius was
a phenomenal singer, and all girls loved him. I looked at him with jealousy when they would share
a warm smile or friendly laugh. Sometimes, I told myself that I will find a wonderful soul whom I
could play piano with.

I could rarely sleep at night, so I would wake up at 4 am, look at the mirror and sing for Nancy,
whom I could sense only in my imaginations. I would not win her love unless I was a phenomenal
artist. I saw no hope in knowing any instruments since every note sounded the same to me. Next
morning when I got to the school, I found Marius playing guitar and singing, “She Believes in Me,”
by Kenny Rogers. I approached him and kindly asked him if he could teach me how to play guitar,
but sadly, he told me that my voice was too deep and only made a screaming noise. I ran home
crying and chose to bury myself in books rather than forcing myself into what was not mine.

Later, I was selected to join Agahozo Shalom Youth Village (ASYV), a school that not only cares
about education but also cultivates the students’ artistic talents. While leaving the library, I passed
a group of people that left me bewildered. The group was singing with hoarse voices worse than
mine, but Makembe, an amazing singer and producer of creative Rwandan traditional songs, was
humbly singing with them. I asked to join, and soon I was spending most of my time in the guitar
room, piano room and in the production room making songs. Through the trainer, Makembe, I
transformed my deep, rough voice into well arranged vocals that were overwhelming to hear. He
helped me sing bass, rap, and amapiano beats that fit my range. The voice that sounded like a
screech to Marius became a voice that my friends cherished during Village Time, our school talent
show. Whenever I performed my songs at the school amphitheater, I could hear a lot of voices
calling my name, “Rene”. One Friday, I was performing with the ASYV band, but sadly, I lost my
voice when I tried to sing in the narrow and low voice that the song required. I realized that my
deep voice couldn’t reach that far, unless someone could support that melody.

CA Byiringiro, Rene CEEB: 9/1/2024 10 FY RD CAID: 35850834

The next morning I told Makembe that I needed to initiate a female band. He smiled and promised
to invest his effort in the female band too. Soon enough, every weekend, my friends and I were in
the production room making songs with Makembe. He taught us how to sing as a team and in
different notes. We could sing together and made the combination that Makembe loved so much. I
could sing in the Village Time hearing the sweet voices from the female band besides me, and the
piano mix that created the world I wished to live in. I loved their voices too; it was the low and
narrow range that I missed.

I cannot wait to see other talented minds expanding their inner potentials. I hope to help others
discover their own gifts, as Makembe once helped me. His mentorship helped me grow far beyond
the view Marius had on me. Makembe encouraged me to explore my desire of singing, which later
became a talent to share with everyone in my community.

CA Byiringiro, Rene CEEB: 9/1/2024 11 FY RD CAID: 35850834

Education progression
Details
Education progression Did or will take gap year
details

Required explanation
Education progression

In Rwanda, we usually take a gap year after senior high school graduation in order to wait for the
National Examination results and to apply for colleges. My gap year began after I finished my
national examinations at the end of August 2023. During my gap year I am applying to universities
and hope to secure employment or an internship to occupy my time before beginning my studies.

CA Byiringiro, Rene CEEB: 9/1/2024 12 FY RD CAID: 35850834

Bates College questions
General
Preferred start term 9/1/2024
Admission plan Regular Decision
SAT Results I did not take this test
Please use my ACT I did not take this test
results:
School Specific Fee No
Waivers
Financial aid Yes

Academics
Academic Programs Earth and Climate Studies
Second Academic Environmental Studies
Interest
Third Academic Interest History

Contacts
Previously applied No
Contact 1 Bates Community Member (Current Student, Athletic Coach, Faculty,
Staff, Alumnus)
Contact 2 High School Counselor or Teacher
Contact 3 College Fair (in-person or virtual)
Contact 4 Social Media, Other

Family
First Generation Yes
Sibling applied No
Relatives attended No
member

Affirmations
CA Byiringiro, Rene CEEB: 9/1/2024 13 FY RD CAID: 35850834
By submitting this application, I affirm my understanding of and agreement to the statements
found here: http://www.commonapp.org/affirmations.

CA Byiringiro, Rene CEEB: 9/1/2024 14 FY RD CAID: 35850834