Today we want to introduce another one of our wonderful students, Giselle Uwimbabazi! Giselle is in 11th grade and this is her first year at The Nest! Giselle was born in the Congo and came to the United States when she was 11 years old. Her grandmother and one of her aunts had already moved to the U.S. before her and, in the past few years, more of her aunts, uncles & cousins have joined them. Giselle remembers how difficult the process of coming here as a refugee was and how there were so many steps to go through. Her stepdad is still in the midst of that as he has been working through the process for nearly 4 years now and is still waiting for the final call to come to America. 

Before coming to the Nest, Giselle went to a public high school and although she enjoyed it, she really struggled with distance learning during this pandemic. She is so grateful for the opportunity to come to the Nest and continue with in-person learning this year! Growing up in the Congo and coming to the U.S. as a refugee, Giselle truly understands how important it is to get an education and graduate because she knows how different her life could have been if she wasn’t blessed with this opportunity. After she graduates, Giselle is considering joining the military, but she also hopes to go to cosmetology school and maybe run her own salon one day. Giselle is an extremely hard worker and, even though she has been through some very hard times, she is driven to build a future that is better than her past!