Richard Niyibigira was a Fulbright recipient who graduated in 2014. His project was titled “ESP Course Design for the Tourism and Hospitality Industry in Rwanda”.

What and where are you teaching now?

Today, I teach English and communication skills at the Integrated Polytechnic Regional Center (IPRC)-Kigali. It is a college situated in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda in Africa.

Tell us about your leadership responsibilities now.

Apart from my teaching responsibilities, I am an active founder member of the Association of Teachers of English in Rwanda (ATER) that started in 2008. I served as the Head of Professional Development and Partnership for ATER since my arrival from the UO until recently when I was elected by the General Assembly as the president of the Association. Today, ATER has approximately 100 primary and secondary teacher beneficiaries in the 5 of 30 districts of Rwanda.  The teachers receive a series of workshops and trainings for free in their Communities of Practice. The trainings are conducted by ATER members and an English Language Fellow (ELF) offered to ATER by the US Embassy in Kigali. Some of my achievements within the association as the Head of professional development and Partnerships are organizing the first ATER annual conference, the 1^st US Embassy Access Microscholarship Program Conference and organizing workshops to teachers through their communities of practice.

Did your LTS MA project relate to what you are doing now?

My MA project is certainly related to what I am doing now. My LTS project was an ESP (English for Specific Purposes) course design for the tourism and hospitality industry. Although the specific course I designed has not been used in any school yet, the knowledge I gained through designing that course served me a lot in my job today. I conducted a workshop to revise a course called “English for Technology” within IPRC Kigali. Although the course was there since a long time ago, its content was in no way different from that of General English. We revised the course to make it specific to students in their different departments and in relation to their specific needs.

Are there any other important developments in your life ?

Apart from my professional life, I have also made some personal and social developments since I left beautiful Eugene. I got married three months after I left Eugene and now I have a 3.5-month-old son. I have a beautiful and happy family that I am proud of.  And yes, I got my driver’s license now, after trying to get it three times with failure when I was in Eugene!

Do you have any advice for current or future LTSers?

My advice to current and future LTSers is:

1. Work as a group not as individuals: The LTS life does not end in class. One of the things that helped me enjoy my time in Eugene is the relationship with my LTS colleagues! You may find the courses hard and with very tight schedules sometimes. The only way you can go through that efficiently is to include your colleagues in your journey to the completion of the program. Do some self-studies together and have fun after class. Enjoy the beauty of Eugene and surroundings.
2. Do your MA project in something you REALLY like! The terminal project process is a long and hard one. It might either take you longer to complete or make you quit before completion if you are working on something you don’t understand and like.
3. Do NOT forget to visit the coast with your cohort! It’s so much fun.