Martin Igaba '21 Recruiting Profile

Just when I was born, the Congo was at war and with four kids at the time, my family didn’t feel safe to be there anymore.After living in Burundi for five years, the conflict of cultures against cultures began and so did the killing. At that time, my mom was a Tutsi teacher at an all Hutu school. Because of that, she would get treated really badly and was eventually told not to return to school because it wasn't safe for her anymore. It got so bad that both my parents stayed home watching us. 

One morning, the air felt cool and smooth, the birds were chirping loud as always, and the sun was shining. All of the sudden, I heard gunshots and then screams from many directions. One particularly sounded familiar. It was my mom calling me to come inside. She picked me up and my dad and my three sisters rushed at the back door and ran. We ran for so long that I got tired from getting picked up and squeezed by my mom's hands. Luckily, my dad had a friend who had a car. He drove us past the borders of Burundi to Kenya. We had no choice but to become refugees. I was five years old. 

Living in Kenya was hard: food, water, and clothes were really hard to find and as years went by, it became normal. After living in Kenya for four years, an organization called UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) was giving deserving refugees a second life based on the story they told. Luckily our story was one of the selected few. The U.S. wanted to recruit us and give us a second chance in life. I am dedicating that second chance to helping others, especially kids who face bullying in school or in the community. Being a member of St. Loe’s Parish Church, I have had many opportunities in helping the community including assisting in Children Liturgy of the Word as a teen volunteer helping over 80 children ages 3 - 9 years old. I have also participated in many service opportunities for the parish and community including our Christmas Toy and Clothing Sale, backpack program, and coat giveaway. I have been volunteering my time as a teen youth leader in the St. Leo the Great Youth Group for the past four years. I have led and been involved in social justice and service activities including volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House, visiting the nursing home, attending the March For Life in Washington D.C., and neighborhood clean-ups. I also have led youth group meetings, youth soccer camps, field trips, high school retreats and have participated in other retreats with the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

My excitement for college is the educational opportunities I can have and the opportunity to connect with others. In the fall, I hope to attend the Unversity of Penn State Beaver to play soccer and major in marketing. I have played soccer since the age of 9 and I enjoyed each and every moment of it and the way it has taught me to working with others and solving problems. Marketing became something that crossed my mind late in my years but I like the work field of promoting merchandized and bringing people in. My favorite thing to do is to take an interest in people and to find out as much as possible about that other person’s story and in turn, I love to tell my story. This is what connects us, this is how great friendships are born. My pledge to help others will not wait for me to first graduate from college. My plan to help others will begin when I first arrive on campus as a freshman. I see myself getting involved in the campus organizations that go out to the local community to help and support the needs of the people. I am always thinking about the future, but the future can’t happen without the present and the past because it’s what drives us to be better than who we are individually and collectively.