As Hugues Mucyo (C’25) navigates his last year as an undergraduate, the former president of the Society of African Internationals at Penn takes the time to reflect on his journey as an international student. From the communities he has found to the home he left behind, much is left to discuss over the transatlantic differences and his efforts to bridge these cultural and historical divides.
When Hugues first came to Penn, he knew but a few other Rwandans off campus and had just come back from seeing his host family in New Jersey. This was his first time out of Rwanda, first time in an American environment, first international flight—you get it. From experiencing vast cultural differences to fostering his own culture across the Atlantic, Hugues does not fall short of words to describe his experience at Penn.
Throughout his upbringing, he was deeply shaped by his country’s history. Born in the town of Muhanga, in southern Rwanda, Hugues later moved to Kigali, the capital. The 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, which claimed nearly a million lives, has left a profound mark on his identity. April 7th, the first day of the annual week of mourning in Rwanda for the Tutsis lost in the genocide, coincides with his birthday, which he elects not to celebrate. “All I knew was mourning during that time ... it’s not something I ever felt the need to celebrate." He would rather people remember Rwanda’s history and is adamant about the importance of correctly referring to it as “the genocide against the Tutsi” rather than the “Rwandan genocide.” “We have to remember what really happened,” he says.
When he moved to the U.S. for college, he knew little about American history and even less about African American history. He parallels his knowledge of the U.S. to how little Americans know about Africa, with Americans’ understanding often limited to colonial narratives and surface–level historical highlights.
Being told “you are Black” when he got to the US was a bit of an unusual experience. He explained that he was startled by the label, as he relays that in Africa one’s identity is not based on the socially constructed idea of race but rather one’s culture, nationality, and/or tribe. When he expressed his confusion about this identity label, he was confronted with frustration from some other Black students who told him he didn’t know what African Americans had been through. He recognized the truth in their words, admitting that he had never fully grasped the weight of the term “Black” until he reached the United States. He didn’t know much more about African American history aside from the slave trade and Civil War: “My school was just trying to make sure we were getting our math and science right,” he says. In his view, people can’t understand Africa because their education barely scratches the surface, but the same is also true in reverse, as he only learned in fragments of what African Americans have been through.
The growing awareness of the limitations of history education and interest in his own culture led Hugues to take Africana Studies courses alongside his Cognitive Science and Computer Science majors. He loved the subject matter but was often left wanting more, especially when it came to contemporary African issues.
Despite the gaps, Hugues finds that he is only one class short of earning the minor. His hope is that one day Africana Studies will offer more nuanced and comprehensive approaches to African histories to ensure everyone is able to bridge that transatlantic gap encompassing the realities of the present and not just the histories of the past.
When he started at Penn, Hugues was in search of his community, and he quickly became involved in the Society for African Internationals at Penn (SAIP), where he took on the role of Freshman Liaison. Hugues understood how overwhelming it could be for internationals to navigate a new environment. During his sophomore year, Hugues worked on SAIP’s launch of its mentorship program, pairing upperclassmen with freshman to ease the transition into college. “Mentorship is a beautiful thing,” Hugues shares, smiling.
Reflecting back on his experiences, he recalls meeting some of the most amazing people at SAIP and emphasizes that it is not about surrounding yourself with people who are like you or from your culture but rather people who let you be your authentic self. “Here at Penn, it's easy to feel like you do not fit. You do not belong in that sense, which necessitates having people who understand your context and support you where you are.”
Hugues became president of SAIP in his junior year, and is outspoken on advocacy for African students. He raised the issue with the Forerunner project, an event to welcome international students before they arrive for their first semester by Penn’s International Student Scholar Services. He explains that while Penn holds the Forerunners for Asia in Singapore, India, and China, and the one for Latin America in Brazil after acceptance, the forerunner for Africa is held at Perry World house during NSO. This leaves African international students feeling that resources are rarely targeted towards them, as though effort is not being made to meet them halfway. Through his work with SAIP, he is able to bring these issues to the administration's, and his peers’, attention.
Beyond his role in SAIP, Hugue’s drive to foster community extended into creative spaces on campus. He choreographed for West African Vibe, a student group that brings together students to share their culture through dance and choreography. Hugues found it as a way to bridge West African cultures and build connections across the diaspora, incorporating African international students, first–generation African immigrant students, and African Americans. He looks back on this experience as a treasured opportunity to connect and celebrate their diverse and shared heritages.
Upon his prodigal return home a year and a half after he had first set foot on campus, he saw how Penn had changed him. During that first break back in Rwanda he recalls, for the first time, encountering language issues with his native language, Kinyarwanda, as he was praying. For the first two decades of his life, he had always prayed in his mother tongue. But there and then he found himself struggling and resorted to English. He holds in laughter, as he explains the effort he makes to retrieve his fluency while talking to his parents on the phone. “All we do is make fun of each other until the call is over,” he says.
As Hugues prepares to graduate, he is determined to ensure that the work he started continues. He remains involved with SAIP’s advisory board, mentoring younger students and offering guidance to the next generation of international African students. His advice to new students is simple but profound: “Keep an open mind. There’s so much to learn—not just from your classes, but from the people around you.”
