“I want to go into computer science.” What comes to mind when you hear that statement? Should the person saying it look a certain way? Should their eligibility to study in this field be decided by a certain set of life experiences?
For Bellevue College graduate and current UW student, Alain Patience Mizero, the dream to study computer science was nothing more than just that. A dream.
Mizero was born in Rwanda with medical complications at birth which led to permanent disability in his right arm. This disability is what officials used to shape the first 20 years of his educational experience.
“Every year, there are nation-wide exams (in Rwanda) to see where students place academically and I placed in the top for the Northern Province,” Mizero said. “I wanted to go into science (for a high school emphasis), but the officials said I couldn’t because of my disability.”
Despite teasing and isolation, he held onto his dream of studying software engineering, finishing high school early and earning selection to study in France based on his academic achievements. He was told, however, that his only option was to continue his studies at the University of Paris 8, an institution that focuses on humanities, human sciences, arts, and social studies.
Mizero decided to make the best of it, enjoying his time in Paris, but one year into his studies, he experienced another setback when he suffered an aneurysm. The subsequent brain surgery left him with limited peripheral vision in his left eye and caused him to temporarily lose his languages (French and Kinyarwanda) and required a year of rehabilitation to regain and master his languages.
While he didn’t finish his education in France as he had hoped, he used his experiences to focus his sights on the United States – where he’d heard he could study any subject he desired. He came to the U.S. in 2009, knowing only a friend of a friend. Poor luck continued to follow Mizero though and he soon ran out of money, becoming homeless for a year.
He did not give up.
“One day I was on a long bus ride and I met a woman who wanted to hear my story,” Mizero said. “One month later, I heard back from her – she had found a friend of hers in Bellevue who had a room available for someone just like me!”
So in fall 2011, he enrolled in Bellevue College – to begin his studies in computer science.
“There are so many people who helped to get me to that point, but if it hadn’t been for her, I am not sure how my story would have unfolded,” he said.
Shortly before graduation from Bellevue College, Mizero was named a “Transforming Lives” award recipient by the Trustees Association of Community and Technical Colleges (TACTC) at a special ceremony in Olympia. The annual award honors students and graduates who overcome barriers to achieve their higher education goals, demonstrating how Washington community and technical colleges help transform lives through education and support. Each of the 34 community and technical colleges in Washington fielded a nominee but only five were selected.
“I didn’t believe it when I was told I won the award,” he said. “For me, it’s not about the monetary reward. It means so much to me that I am seen as someone and I am not being ignored as I have been in the past. I know I can do what I put my mind to – no matter the circumstances in which I find myself.”
Mizero graduated in December 2013 from Bellevue College with an associate transfer degree in computer science and began his first quarter in January 2014 at the University of Washington Tacoma, where he is pursuing a degree in software engineering. Upon completion of his B.S., he hopes to develop an online translation service for use in sub-Saharan Africa that will allow neighboring communities and countries to explore their shared linguistic roots, allowing for effective communication and conflict aversion.
– by Evan Epstein
Last Updated October 3, 2016