She’s the first: Nadia Niyogushima ’26

This first-year, first-generation student is one of the Black Alumni Network’s first scholarship recipients

Nadia Niyogushima ’26

Nadia Niyogushima’s story begins in the Congo. Her mother, Khadija Ntahoruri, is from this East African country—though she fled her homeland more than 25 years ago, during the First Congo War. Between that and the Second Congo War a few years later, more than 5.4 million people died and another 240,000 became refugees, including Ntahoruri who found safety in Tanzania. Niyogushima and her five siblings were born there a few years later.

In 2007, when Niyogushima was just three years old, a refugee program placed the family in Rochester, NY. She grew up in the city, where she stayed close to her family and her roots, excelled in academics, and in life. Today, Niyogushima is a first-year, first-generation student at the University of Rochester. She is also one of the Black Alumni Network’s first two scholarship recipients.

Growing up

Niyogushima’s mother did everything she could to make sure her children knew about and were proud of their heritage and identity. For instance, they all took African dancing and drumming lessons from a neighbor. Ntahoruri also encouraged her children to work hard, keep an open mind, seize every opportunity they could, and be grateful.

Niyogushima has. She attended the Rochester City School District’s School of the Arts where she was a vocal major. She loved singing and science and was involved in many community engagement activities, including the school’s Black Lives Matter (BLM) organization. School administrators saw Niyogushima’s leadership potential and even asked her to help a cohort of her suburban peers start a BLM group at Penfield High School.

A familiar place

The University of Rochester is a familiar place for Niyogushima. In the summer before her junior year, she participated in a STEM program offered through OMSA’s Early Connections Opportunity (ECO) Program. That’s when she learned about biomedical engineering. She loved it. Then, in the summer before her senior year, Niyogushima took an ECO ethics course. She loved that, too.

Around the same time, Niyogushima participated in STEP, a program offered through the University’s Office of Equity and Inclusion, which is designed for middle and high school students. Medical students run the course, provide the instruction, and talk to city school participants about careers in science, medicine, and technology. Niyogushima liked that program so much that she’s been working there as an assistant for a few years, including on the weekends now.

Taking it all in

So far at Rochester, Niyogushima has taken chemistry, calculus, writing, math, a public health class, West African drumming and dancing, and a course through the David T. Kearns Center on navigating college life. When Niyogushima isn’t in class, she’s often with her friends, enjoying a meal in Douglass or Hillside or studying in the Barbara J. Burger iZone, a favorite spot of hers.

Niyogushima is taking it all in and isn’t sure what she’ll major in or where life will take her after graduation. Right now, she is thinking about majoring in bioethics, but she’s curious about so much. “For years, I’ve thought about medicine, and then when I learned about engineering, I considered that,” she says. “I’m getting introduced to all sorts of new things and seeing ways to combine my interests—it’s all very exciting so we will see how the next few years go.”

College is teaching Niyogushima a lot more than academics, too. She’s learning about independence, handling stress, and time management. “Transitioning to college life can be hard but the University offers so much support,” she says. “The Kearns Center and OMSA have been so helpful. Through them, I’ve met many students from different backgrounds who share similar life experiences. It’s been great getting to know them, discovering new things together, and going through the same kinds of challenges. I’m figuring it all out, which feels great.”

Gratitude and pride

Niyogushima is thankful for the support from the Black Alumni Network and proud to be a scholarship recipient. She’s looking forward to meeting members of the network to learn about them, their college experiences, their career paths, the challenges they’ve overcome, and the opportunities they’ve embraced.

“It’s humbling to know the people at the University who didn’t even know me read my profile, saw something in me, and believed that I deserved this,” she says. “I’m honored and it makes me really happy.”

Photo: Matt Wittmeyer

Learn about the Black Alumni Network’s other scholarship recipient, Mervyn Winn ’26.