Hope

on a string: This 18-year-old is a on a mission for change

Profile Interview with Ruth Ruberwa, 21 Sept. 2014

By Sarah Miller

551 words


Ten years ago, Ruth Ruberwa and her family fled to the United States to

escape threats to their lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ruths father,

Azarias Ruberwa, stayed behind to carry out his duties as one of the countrys four

vice presidents.

Tonight, Ruth is perched on a sofa in her college dorm room, statistics

homework strewn across the coffee table in front of her as she carefully twists her

hair into a neat bun.

Lets start at the beginning, I say to Ruth. Tell me about your background.

My background is everything. If I hadnt been born into the life I was born

into, I dont think I would have this kind of drive to want to go out and accomplish

things. Ive seen my parents work for everythingthey are literally self-made. That

inspires me. . . Its like an invisible force moving me from one thing to the next.

So whats next? I ask, referring to her plans after graduation.

Well, the short-term plan is to go into business consulting. Long-term is to

be an entrepreneur and launch a social enterprise that helps women or children in

developing countries. I know that sounds clicheveryone thinks theyre going to

change the world. But women and children are the most marginalized and

ostracized group of people all over the world. Recognizing my own privilege in the

world has led me to want to do this.

 Considering that Ruth is an African-American woman from what was initially

a very under-privileged background, Im intrigued. Tell me more about that idea of

privilege, I say.

Well its because Im living within this American context. If I were a black

female anywhere else in the world, I wouldnt have a shot. But here, I do, and I have

the chance to help others have a shot.

Ruth gets up to plug her laptop in, and the conversation shifts to what she did

over the summer. She tells me about her internship at Africa Exchange Holdings, an

organization working to establish a stock exchange in east Africa. While sitting at a

table surrounded by national presidents and Fortune 500 CEOs working to improve

the African economy, she describes having a profound sense of hope. I was like,

wow, I get itthat hope, that thing that keeps us going when we think nothing will

ever changethis is it.

Ruth currently works for a start-up called Tru Colour, a company making

Band-Aids in colors for every complexion.

Its a little way of addressing the larger issue of equality, she says. Its not

just a black and white issue; its a human issue. We need to care about one another

enough to have the basic human decency to ask, If one thing exists for me, why

doesnt that exist for you?

She pauses, leaning back into the sofa and closing her eyes for a moment. A

smile slides across her face and she says, I always think that Im working towards

what I dream about, but I really need to be like, whoa, Im in it right now. God is

stringing together every experience that I have and at the end of that string is this
grand, beautiful hope. Thats how Im choosing to look at life right now. Its pretty

cool.

Sarah is a college student living in the Midwest. She is studying

Communications and International Relations.